Seventeen
by cher-cher91
Summary: For seventeen years she'd been the girl next door. For seventeen years she'd lived to make him smile. For seventeen years she'd wished he would notice her. For seventeen years he had looked right on through her...
1. Beginning Chances

A/N: So I tried to make a character that people could relate with for this story. There will be much more to it than just your basic unrequited love story. I have a plot here. Anyway, we'll see if this one flies. There will be action later on and stuff, just gotta get the groundwork laid. :)

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"_Chloe." Shuiichi grabbed her wrist to stop her from running away._

_Chloe hid her face, not wanting him to see her tears. "Just let me go." Her voice wavered uncontrollably._

_The sweet red-head smiled softly, pulling her back to him. "I'll never let you go." He murmured, tilting her face up to his. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Chloe, I-"_

"CHLOE!!"

She jerked awake when she felt someone slap her cheek. "What, what?!" Her brown eyes blinked open, her arms coming up to defend herself.

"Get your lazy butt out of bed. You're running us late." Her mother commanded, leaving the room.

Chloe rubbed at her cheek, hurt and annoyed at having been pulled out of such a wonderful dream. She yawned and looked over at her alarm, surprised to see that it was five am; her mother usually got her up at four. With a sigh she threw off her covers and hopped over to her wardrobe. She pulled off her tank top first, pausing a moment to look at the bruise on her ribcage. She winced when she touched it; it was still sore to the touch.

Hearing her mother's footsteps she quickly pulled on her school uniform and shoes, ran a brush through her hair, grabbed her books and shoved them in her back pack, and shrugged on a jacket while she hurried out. "I'm ready." She pulled her backpack, standing still before her mother.

Her mother eyed her up and down, then finished pulling on her own jacket. "Let's go."

It was a cold, brisk walk to the store. Chloe shivered inside her clothes, shifting her weight back and forth in an attempt to stay warm as her mother unlocked the front doors. They stepped inside; it wasn't much warmer. Chloe headed to the register while her mother went in the back to turn on the heat and start up the store.

Chloe unlocked the register and tied an apron on herself, dusting off the counters and logging in to the system. Her mother came out of the back also wearing an apron and went to the front to unlock the doors. Chloe yawned and pulled out a magazine to pass the time until the first customer came around.

"Chloe, take the garbage out. Once you've finished that you can restock on the canned goods aisle – it's getting low." Her mother came behind the counter and shooed her out.

Chloe tied off the garbage sack and lugged it out. She was almost to the alleyway when she caught a flash of red up the block. "Shuiichi-!" She gasped, ducking quickly into the alleyway so he wouldn't see her. Her heart was beating wildly. Had he come home from college for the weekend? What was he doing in the neighborhood? Why had he been heading this way? She peeked around the corner, a tingling spreading through her body as she watched him approaching. His hands in his pockets, his jacket, his scarf, his gentle face... Chloe forgot herself for a moment and just gazed at him, a dopey smile crossing her face.

When his eyes started to come up she retreated into the alley, dumping the trash in the dumpster and zipping around to the back door. He might be coming in the store! She thought joyfully, stopping by the bathroom for a moment to check how she looked. _'Like I just rolled out of bed...'_ She thought ruefully, trying to make her hair any sort of decent by pulling it back into a ponytail. No such luck, unfortunately. It still looked a little wild. "Whatever." She muttered, skipping into the storage area. She grabbed a box of canned peaches and headed out to the front, her eyes darting around the store as she searched for him. He was quite tall, but then the aisles were taller.

With a resigned sigh she went into the canned goods aisle, glad to see her mother had gotten the ladder out. She pulled a knife out of her apron pocket and sliced the top of the box open before shoving onto the tray at the top of the ladder. She climbed up and moved the few existing cans over to make room for the new product. Shortly thereafter the bell over the front door chimed. She twisted to see who it was, but the door was hidden. She'd almost convinced herself it couldn't be him when she heard her mother exclaim "Shuiichi! What a pleasant surprise!"

Chloe felt as if her heart should stop beating. He was really here? She ducked down to hide, daring only to peek over the top of the racks. There he was, standing at the front register chatting with her mother. _'I think I might faint...'_ Chloe attempted to calm herself, but still not daring to stand up straight.

"Thank you. I decided to surprise my mother and come home for the weekend."

His calm voice sent chills down Chloe's spine and her heartbeat quicken.

"That was nice of you. How are you enjoying college?"

"Very well. My professor's are all quite knowledgeable, and the resources for my research are excellent."

"That's good. I haven't heard any stories so I assume you've been behaving yourself."

He smiled. "Of course. How is your daughter? She should be graduating after next year, is that not so?"

Chloe nearly died. He remembered what year she was in school?

"Oh yes, she's slogging her way through high school. Although, if you ask me, she'd do well to get a tutor. Her grades aren't nearly all they could be."

Chloe glared at her mother. _'Of course they aren't, because I have no time to study well because you have me working here whenever I'm not in school!'_

"That's too bad. She always seemed very bright. Perhaps she just lacks method in her studying."

"Excuse me Shuiichi."

Shuiichi walked away from the counter as another customer came up.

Chloe leaned against the aisle, her heart erratic. Shuiichi had talked about her. He'd even complimented her! Her hands moved subconsciously, placing more cans of peaches on the shelves. She thought she might die of giddiness. Shuiichi had remembered she existed!

"Excuse me."

Chloe heard the words, but they didn't register in her brain. She sighed happily.

"Miss Scott?"

Her eyes darted down to the speaker, a flush rising in her cheeks. "Sh-shuiichi." She stuttered, smiling nervously down at him. "H-hi." She swallowed hard, trying to act natural.

He smiled back at her. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She shook her head jerkily. "You didn't. I was just...thinking." She shoved another can of peaches on the shelf, pulling on her courage to speak; he spoke first.

"How is school going for you?"

She blinked, trying to get her frozen brain to melt into action. "School. School is fine." She licked her dry lips. "How's college?" She spoke quickly so he wouldn't leave.

He took a couple things off the shelf and placed them in his basket, smiling indulgently. "Intellectually stimulating. It's a very nice campus, I enjoy studying there."

"That's good." Chloe wished she had more to say, but nothing would come to mind. She'd rehearsed dozens of speeches when she was alone, so why wouldn't any of it come now?

"Do you happen to know if there are any more cans of baby corn in the back?" Shuiichi asked, motioning to the empty shelf.

Chloe looked where he pointed, her brain catching up slowly. "Oh....yeah. Hold on." She scrambled down and jogged towards the back of the store. "Don't move! I'll be right back."

She returned shortly with another box, again slicing it open at the base of the ladder. She lifted it again and came over to Shuiichi. "How many did you need?"

Shuiichi took a few out and placed them in his basket. "Thank you very much Miss Scott." He smiled and turned to walk away.

"It was good seeing you." Chloe's legs felt like jelly. She set down the box, not sure how strong she was at this moment. She'd just talked with Shuiichi again. He hadn't been home in a few weeks. It felt like ages.

"Chloe!" Her mother called from the front.

"Coming!" Chloe whirled to run, forgetting how close she was to the ladder. She collided with it hard, and the half-full box of peaches came toppling down. She screamed as she saw it coming, then everything was darkness.


	2. Curious Strangers

A/N: If you're wondering about the non-Japanese names, I posted an explanation in the reviews area. There will also be an explanation in the story in the next chapter or two, so find out however you wish. Thanks!

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_Previously..._

"_Chloe!" Her mother called from the front._

"_Coming!" Chloe whirled to run, forgetting how close she was to the ladder. She collided with it hard, and the half-full box of peaches came toppling down. She screamed as she saw it coming, then everything was darkness._

_Now..._

"Chloe, are you all right?"

"Is she all right?"

"Should we call an ambulance?"

"No, no, she seems to be coming round."

Chloe could hear all these voices above her. Her head was hurting like...something painful. She forced her eyelids to separate, flinching as the light hit her brown eyes. "What happened?" She blinked a few times, clearing her vision.

Her mother and some customers were clustered around her, worried looks on all their faces. "Do you remember what happened?"

Chloe still looked a little bewildered, but answered "Yeah...the peaches fell on me..." She pushed herself up into a sitting position, closing her eyes and holding her head as a wave of nausea washed over her. "I'm fine, really." She spoke when the wave passed, smiling a weak but reassuring smile. She was rather disappointed that Shuiichi hadn't come to see if she was all right, but he probably had his own life to get on with.

"Here's the ice."

Chloe's eyes bugged and her face flushed. She'd know that voice if it were surrounded by three hundred others. She didn't dare even look at him, although she could see him in her peripheral.

Something cold was pressed against her head. "Here, keep it up." He took her hand and placed it on the bag to support it. He retracted his hand, still crouching by her. "Look at me Miss Scott."

It took a moment but Chloe slowly turned her head, still blushing, still unable to meet his gaze.

He tapped her hand. "Look at me Miss Scott. We all want to be sure you didn't damage yourself permanently." He smiled encouragingly.

Chloe mustered her courage and met his green eyes, her heart speeding up a bit as she did so.

"Do you remember who I am?" He asked.

She nodded mutely.

"Can you point out your mother?"

She pointed to her mother, still mute.

"Very good." Shuiichi straightened, smiling reassuringly at everyone. "She's all right, just a bump on the head."

Chloe's mother took the hint. "Let's give her some air now. You all came to shop, so please continue with it." When the curious onlookers had cleared out she took Shuiichi to the end of the aisle, speaking quietly with him.

Chloe sat on the floor, still holding the bag of ice to her head, still staring at the floor, and still in shock. He'd brought her ice for her head. He'd taken it upon himself to make sure she was okay. He'd-

"Miss Scott?"

Her head jerked up, and she winced as it throbbed.

"Your mother has asked that I take you home when I finish shopping, since we are next door neighbors. She's going to call the school and tell you can't come today. Would you be agreeable to waiting ten or fifteen minutes before we leave?"

Chloe nodded. "My bag....it's in the back." She managed to find her voice, even if it did squeak a little.

Shuiichi nodded. "That's quite all right. We'll get that before leaving. Let's get you to a chair in the back, alright?"

She nodded again, taking the ice pack from her head as she attempted the awkwardness of getting off the floor in her school's uniform skirt – not an easy task when you were trying to maintain some sort of modesty.

"Please allow me." Shuiichi stepped behind her and lifted her onto her feet gracefully, as if she weighed nothing.

She gasped, more of surprise at the action than of pain.

"Did that hurt your head?" He asked, concerned.

Chloe was about to shake her head, but quickly turned it into a small nod. "Only a little." She clamped the cold pack back on her head, praying that he released her now but also praying that he didn't. She'd spent so many nights dreaming he'd hold her like this! Then again, her dreams had always been a little more romantic than this was...and he'd used her first name...

He let go of her for a moment to retrieve his basket of food. "Do you feel well enough to walk?" He asked.

Chloe nodded and set the ice pack down on the shelf, annoyed with herself for feeling as well as she was. The perfect opportunity here and she had to be feeling pretty okay. "So I'll see you in the back in ten?" She asked, smiling weakly.

He smiled back. "I won't forget about you." He promised.

Chloe smiled much wider when she was out of his sight. Those words had sent tingles up her spine. She sat cross-legged on one of the freezers, wrapped the back-pack in her arms, and leaned her head back against the wall. As the minutes drifted so did her conscious. Her head was throbbing again.

_'Darn, I left the cold pack out there...'_ She thought, her eyelids drifting shut.

"Miss Scott?"

She jerked awake at Shuiichi's voice. "What?" She asked, startled.

Shuiichi held out a hand. "I've completed my business. Shall we depart?"

Chloe looked at his hand for a moment, finally closing her mouth and letting him help her off the appliance. "Thanks." She let go quickly, averting her gaze from his. She slung her back-pack on and submissively followed him.

Silence reigned between them as they walked down the sidewalk, Shuiichi in his own thoughts for a little while and Chloe too shy to speak any of her's. Finally though, the silence was too much. She had the perfect opportunity here, and she was just letting it slip out of her hands!

"So, um, do you still hang out with Kazuma and Urameshi?" She asked timidly.

Shuiichi glanced at her, one eyebrow quirked. "Kuwabara and Yusuke? How did you know I hung out with them?"

Chloe blushed, glancing at a window they passed. "Well, they were always coming to your house. And you talked to them a lot on your phone or walkie talkie. … Back when you were in high school, I mean." She didn't dare look at him to see his expression. She felt like she'd asked something that shouldn't have been asked.

"I still talk to Yusuke on occasion. Kuwabara moved out of town; I haven't had a chance to talk with him in a while."

He didn't seem mad, thankfully, although his comment about Kuwabara had seemed somehow... off. Different than his nonchalance about Yusuke. But Chloe, being Chloe, didn't dare pursue it. She didn't know she should have pressed it in the first place. Instead she searched desperately for another subject.

Shuiichi changed it himself. "How do you like high school?"

Chloe looked at him, surprised, her tongue fumbling for words. "Well, I, uh....it's okay, I guess."

"What's your favorite class?"

"Uhh...chemistry, although biology is pretty interesting too. My chemistry teacher is definitely the most fun though." She smiled softly.

"Science, huh? I didn't know you were interested in that." Shuiichi tugged her elbow to stop her from crossing an intersection.

Chloe pushed some hair behind her ear. "I got into it when I read my older brother's research journals. He was an absolute genius. I guess you could say he inspired me." She started walking again when Shuiichi did, glad he was paying attention to traffic, because she knew she was caught up in the fact that she had him all to herself right now. Occasions for this were rare, so she had to cherish them when she could.

"Your brother's a scientist?" Shuiichi asked.

"Was a scientist." She corrected.

"Oh I see."

"So what degree are you working towards?" Chloe asked, not wanting him to press that further.

Shuiichi smiled slightly. "I'm studying biochemistry."

Chloe looked at him, a smile lighting up her features. "That's great! Are you going to go into the medical field? You'd be so good at helping people!" She instantly flushed and looked away. She missed a look of sadness on his face, but it only lasted moments before it was replaced by his normal demeanor.

"I don't know about that. But, in any case, I'm not sure right now what I want to do with the degree. There are many options available to me."

Chloe nodded, murmuring "There certainly are."

Shuiichi let a moment of silence fall before breaking it again, finding her interesting to talk to. He hadn't really spent any time with her since before her met Yusuke and the rest. She'd certainly changed a lot, turned into quite a young woman. She just seemed so painfully shy he wasn't sure he'd get to know her very well. She seemed as well hidden as he took pains to be. "Do you have any colleges you're looking at?"

Chloe fell silent for a moment, then looked at him sneakily. "Promise you won't tell my mother what I tell you?"

Shuiichi was a little surprised at this show of trust, but assured her of his secrecy if it was nothing illegal.

She giggled a little and shook her head. "Nothing like that. I just...I'm graduating this year, not next year."

Shuiichi looked surprised. "Congratulations. How did you manage that?" He was truly surprised, especially after what her mother had said her daughter's grades. It was a pleasant surprise nonetheless, and earned her a bit of respect in his mind.

Chloe did look a little pleased with herself. "My friend and I both wanted to graduate early, but the only way to do it would be if we did night school as well as regular high school. He didn't want to do night school alone, and I certainly didn't have the money for that, so it worked perfectly. He paid, I attended, we helped each other out and got a year ahead." She giggled. "Nothing too special."

"Why haven't you told your mother?"

"...I just want to surprise her is all."

Shuiichi looked at Chloe, trying to read what her face said. Somehow he got the feeling there was more here than she was letting on, but then again that was none of his business. So he switched the subject. "What college do you want to go to?"

Chloe considered a moment. "Osaka University. They have one of the best medical schools in the nation."

Shuiichi raised an eyebrow: that was also the university he was attending. "Have you appli-"

"I've already been accepted." She interrupted, smiling broadly.

"Congratulations."

She seemed to remember who she was with and her cheeks tinged pink as she quickly ducked her head away from his sight. "Thanks..." She murmured, tugging on her backpack strap. She stepped closer to Shuiichi to avoid colliding into someone, but she didn't quite make it far enough. Her head came up to look at the stranger, but his eyes caused her apologies to die on her lips.

The stranger's eyes were a dark orange, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. "I'm terribly sorry." The well-dressed man purred, lifting her hand and pressing it to his lips. "How rude of me."

Chloe didn't know what this man was doing, but she seemed rooted to the spot, unable to take her gaze off him. "Th-that's okay." She tugged her hand out of his grasp, holding it protectively with her other hand.

Shuiichi put an arm behind her back. "Very sorry about that." He propelled Chloe forward, away from the unnerving stranger.

Chloe went with him, but something in her made her look back. The black-haired stranger was still watching her, a smile quirking his lips. "Creeper..." She muttered, turning her attention forward again. She hesitated, then risked a look at Shuiichi. His face didn't seem any different than normal, but something in his eyes told her his brain was working through something.

"Was that someone you know?" Shuiichi asked quietly, removing his arm.

Chloe was a little disappointed at the lack of contact now, but didn't show it outwardly. "Not at all." She shook her head. "But did you see those eyes? Such an odd orange color. Probably contacts though, huh?"

Shuiichi didn't smile at that, simply replied. "Probably. It seems to be a fad these days. You should probably avoid him if you see him again in the future. He didn't seem very safe."

Chloe could have smiled her heart out – Shuiichi was showing concern for her well-being! But she didn't. Instead she agreed. "Definitely. He seemed...weird. But, in any case, this is a big city. The chances of me bumping into him again are very small. He'll just live forever in my memory as the creeper with entrancing orange eyes." She giggled, hoping it would loosen Shuiichi up some.

He seemed to smile a little, and relax infinitesimally. "Do you remember every stranger you bump into? Or just the weird ones?" He teased.

Chloe stuck her tongue out. "I can't help it if I have a good memory."

Shuiichi chuckled. "Okay, okay." He stopped walking. "This is your stop, I believe." He pointed at her house.

Chloe couldn't believe what ill-luck she had to live so close to the store. "Yeah, I guess so.." She scuffed her foot in the dirt. "Thanks for walking me home." She glanced up at him briefly, flashing a smile and then heading up the walk to her house.

"My pleasure." Shuiichi walked next door to his own house, glancing over as he opened his own door. She'd had to unlock the front door with her key. Did that mean there was no one home? Shuiichi frowned a little. That wasn't safe when she'd just had a bunch of cans fall on her head; she could have a concussion.

_'Surely her mother wouldn't send her home to an empty house.'_ He told himself, entering his own home. "Mother?" He called, slipping off his shoes before entering further into the home.

"Shuiichi?" Shiori came out from the kitchen, smiling at her son. "Did you have a problem at the grocery?"

"Of course not. Mrs. Scott's daughter had a box of canned peaches fall on her head, and I offered to escort her home."

Shiori's eyes widened. "Oh my. Is she alright? She's been a little sick lately."

Shuiichi nodded. "She seems fine. She's staying home today to get some rest."

Shiori seemed shocked. "All by herself all day?" She shook her head, taking the bags and returning to the kitchen. "The Scott's are coming to dinner tonight. I invited them days ago, when I thought you were staying at school for the weekend."

Shuiichi, who had followed his mother, smiled and hugged her from behind. "That's fine mother. I'll do my work before they come over. Will you need any help getting the food ready this afternoon?"

Shiori shook her head, patting his arm. "Not at all. You just focus on getting all your work done."

Shuiichi let her go. "You let me know if you need any help." He took an apple and headed back to his bedroom, setting himself up at his desk. He glanced out his window, catching sight of Chloe also sitting at her desk. She, however, had slumped forward, her head resting on one arm, the other stretched out to the side. Dead asleep it seemed. He frowned. You weren't supposed to sleep when you just had your head hit.

His mother beat him to it. "Shuiichi, dear, what do you say we invite Chloe to come over here for the day? I worry about her, being alone in that house all day by herself."

Shuiichi smiled and stood, glad he had a legitimate excuse to go over there now. "Of course mother. You're quite right. I'll run over." He pulled on a light jacket and slid on his shoes as he headed out the door. He walked up to her window first and tapped on it. She didn't stir.

He knocked a little harder. She still didn't move. Getting a little worried now he went to the front door and rang the doorbell. He waited a little while before trying the knob; it was locker. He glanced at his own house, then went around to the back door, which was unlocked. He slipped inside, padding softly through the hallway, going to the door that should lead him to her bedroom.

The door was open, revealing the same thing he'd seen from his bedroom. He knocked on the door loudly; she only moaned a little in her sleep. Shuiichi stood on the threshold a little while longer, not wanting to trespass on her privacy, but not sure of any other way to wake her. Finally, he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. "Miss Scott?"

She jerked awake, heart pounding, blood pumping, eyes. "What? What?!" She whipped her head around to look him, hesitating when she saw Shuiichi. "S-shuiichi?" She stuttered, glad that sleeping on the desk was an excuse for her cheeks to already be red. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Shuiichi smiled, stepping back a little. "My mother asked me to invite you to come stay at our house for the day, seeing as being here all alone with a head injury isn't very safe."

Chloe's mouth opened, then shut. She blinked, processing his words. "I'm alright here, really.." She looked down at her hands. "She doesn't have to-"

"You're not putting us out of our way, I promise. Please, just come over. You don't want to make her worry, do you?"

Chloe sighed, still not looking up into his gaze. "I suppose not. Let me leave a note for my mother." She stood and walked past him, out into the kitchen. She scribbled a note for her mother and placed it on the dining table. She paused there for a moment, her heart still beating erratically. Shuiichi had come over to wake her up and ask her over. She couldn't help a shy smile to herself before returning to her room. She gathered her books and shoved them in her bag, grabbing a coat and following him out of her house.

"Um, not to be rude, but...what were you doing in my house anyway? You could have rung the doorbell.." She didn't look at him, but she was curious.

Shuiichi didn't seem affronted. "I knocked on your window and rang the doorbell and you still didn't wake up."

Chloe's lips formed a silent 'o'. "How did you know to come in the back door?"

Shuiichi smiled. "You always leave the back door unlocked." He smirked down at her. "You're not the only one with a good memory."

Chloe flushed, looking down at the flowers growing around his house.

"Why do you leave the back door unlocked? I'm just a little curious. Wouldn't you feel safer with it locked? Most people who come through your back door won't have the good intentions I do."

Chloe nodded. "I suppose, but I like having a means of escape."

Shuiichi could honestly say that surprised him. "A means of escape? From what?"

Chloe fell silent, stopping at his front door. "From-...nothing." She shook her head, following him through the front door.

Shuiichi let the subject drop, as she obviously did not want to talk about it. "I'm back Mother."

"Chloe! So good to see you." Shiori smiled warmly.

Chloe smiled back, a little awkwardly. "Thank you for inviting me over Shiori."

Shiori waved her hand dismissively. "Of course dear. I couldn't let you stay in the house all by yourself when you weren't feeling well. Shuiichi can set you up somewhere to do your homework, and your family will be joining us for dinner, so you can just return home with them, no problems."

Chloe nodded. "Sounds fine with me, thanks. I'm feeling alright, please don't worry about me."

Shiori just smiled and looked at Shuiichi. "I'll call you two for lunch."

Shuiichi kissed her cheek lightly. "Thank you mother. Please follow me Miss Scott." He led their visitor up the stairs to his bedroom. "You may take over the desk. I just have reading for now."

Chloe looked surprised. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

Shuiichi shook his head and headed for the bed. "Please, make yourself at home."

Chloe hesitated at first, but slowly took over the surface, spreading her books out so she could study. They studied in silence for a while. Chloe was absorbed in her homework, and Shuiichi just preferred working in quiet.

Chloe lay on her bed that night, arms over her head, an intense satisfied feeling resting in the pit of her stomach. She'd spent all day in Shuiichi's company, had dinner with him and his parents, and gotten all her homework finished. He'd still be home tomorrow, Sunday, as well. Perhaps she'd have a chance to see him again.

She smiled at that thought and closed her eyes, ready to go to sleep. A cool breeze wafted some hair across her cheek. The blood drained from her face and her heart skipped several beats. Something was wrong here. Something was terribly wrong here.

_**She wasn't alone.**_


	3. Old Friends, New Faces

_Previously..._

_A cool breeze wafted some hair across her cheek. The blood drained from her face and her heart skipped several beats. Something was wrong here. Something was terribly wrong here._

_**She wasn't alone.**_

Chloe lay in her bed, her heart pounding, eyes squeezed tightly shut. _'Please God, don't let me die!'_ She prayed frantically, feeling slightly nauseous. She wanted to call her mother, father, brother, anyone to come save her. Knowing she couldn't do that she slowly opened her eyes, for once glad that she had to sleep facing the window, a habit she'd picked up as a child.

She could see a crouching figure by her window, peeking out through the curtains.

Chloe carefully slid her legs to the edge of the bed closest the door, gnawing on her lip as she nerved herself up for sprinting for safety. If that didn't work she'd just scream. She glanced at the figure once more before flinging the blankets and leaping for the door. She'd barely made it off the bed before something barreled into her. She, somehow, was shoved against the wall silently, a hand clamped tightly, almost painfully, over her mouth.

"You should have stayed asleep." A young woman's voice whispered in her ear, annoyance running rampant through her lyrical tones.

Chloe felt a tear threaten to drip from her eye at the strength of the grip on her. Her jaw felt like it should break soon if the pressure were not released.

"Promise not to scream?"

The frightened girl nodded as best she could, by no means planning on keeping that promise.

The attacker slowly loosened her grip on the girl's jaw.

Chloe saw her chance and took it, taking a breath and opening her mouth to scream. She didn't get a chance to blow out any air. A fist hit the side of her head, sending her reeling and making stars burst in front of her vision. She slid to the ground, shrinking away from the intruder.

"I wouldn't even think of making a noise if I were you. I could kill you with my little finger alone." The woman locked the bedroom door and returned to the window, glancing out for a moment.

Chloe huddled against the wall, a hand to her throbbing temple, her body shaking. She stared at the woman, confused and frightened. From the moonlight coming through her window she could see the intruder wasn't very tall, probably only coming to Shuiichi's shoulder. She had a long braid pulled over her shoulder that almost seemed to glow green. Her body was small, compact, and looked like it was made for action.

The woman turned suddenly, coming over and crouching down in front of Chloe. "Sorry about the head. I forget my own strength sometimes. But you see I'm hiding from an awfully nasty bunch of creeps out there, and I'd really rather not have them find me with this treasure on me." She pulled a small box out from under her shirt.

Chloe swallowed hard, but remained silent. This was definitely unexpected. Was the intruder trying to be..nice to her? It didn't make any sense.

The woman sighed. "Look, I didn't mean to give you a fright, honest. I thought you were sound asleep. I was just gonna pop in for a few minutes until they went their merry way. How about we start over, eh? I'm Carmen."

Chloe was still finding this whole situation to be a dream. _'This is a dream...it will go away soon...this is just a dream...it will all go away...'_ She kept telling herself, just staring at the stranger.

Carmen sighed, poking Chloe's knee. "Didn't you hear me? I said my name's Carmen. What's yours?"

Chloe swallowed, afraid of getting hit again. "Chloe." She whispered, uncertainty clouding her small voice.

Carmen nodded in the darkness. "Pleasure to meet you." She purred, leaning forward. "Can you keep a secret?" She asked.

Chloe was a little taken aback. "E-excuse me?"

Carmen repeated her inquiry. "A secret – can you keep one?"

Chloe was bewildered. "Yes...?"

Carmen giggled. "No need to put a question mark at the end. Alright, here's how things are going to play. This box stays with you. You don't take it out of this room, you put it somewhere safe, and, I can't stress this bit too much, don't. tell. a. soul. about. it. Okay?" She didn't seem to need an answer, merely pushed the thing into Chloe's limp fingers. "Now, I'm going to go back out the window same as I came. You count to a hundred before you crawl back into bed and go to sleep. No peeking after me, okay?" Carmen seemed to smile in the darkness and stood, bounding over to the window. "Pleasant dreams." She disappeared, leaving only a flutter of the window curtains.

Chloe sat there, staring at the window. Had that really just happened? What, exactly, had just happened? She wasn't at all sure. The box thing sitting in her hands seemed to testify to its truth, although even then she couldn't be sure. She stood, walking over to the window. She pulled the curtain back a tiny bit, peering out.

Out in the moonlight Carmen was dancing away from two men who were both continuing to advance on her. Chloe's eyes widened when she saw silver glinting behind their backs. Knives? Swords? She shook her head frantically. No. No. That sort of thing only happened in the movie. The was reality. People didn't go around trying to kill people with knives. Not here in Japan.

She must be seeing things. She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision, but it didn't seem to be helping any. They were still there, threatening to girl. Chloe looked down at the box in her hand, then back up at Carmen. She didn't know what had happened exactly, but she didn't deserve to die.

One moment Carmen was dancing down there, but when Chloe blinked they had all moved. Carmen was sliding off the the Minamino's house wall, her face turned downwards and hidden by shadows. The men were getting closer. They all disappeared suddenly. Chloe looked around curiously, trying to find them all.

Everything down there seemed a little blurry, fuzzy, yet there was nothing in front of her eyes. She rubbed them anyway, looking down again. She now saw the two men holding Carmen, one of them raising a hand as if to strike her. Carmen seemed to spit some words at them, and then suddenly there was a flash of light and all three flew backwards.

The two men simply landed on their feet on the dirt, but Carmen had flown up onto the Minamino's porch. She continued to hurl comments at the men as she picked herself up; she raised a hand by her head, holding her hand is if holding a ball.

_'What is she doing?'_ Chloe shifted, trying to get a better look. Her eyes widened and she gasped involuntarily as a hand suddenly came out of the shadows behind Carmen and clamped onto her shoulder. The woman attempted to twist out of the grip, unsuccessfully.

Chloe clamped a hand over her mouth when Shuiichi stepped into the moonlight, pulling Carmen with him. Chloe couldn't see his face from her, but she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

_'No Shuiichi, don't do it, they'll hurt you!'_ She yelled in her head, fear squeezing at her heart.

Shuiichi confronted the two men, his back to Chloe, annoyingly enough. But the men were facing her, and with the moonlight coming right down on them it was enough. At first they had seemed startled, then suspicious, now they seemed a little....frightened; they were backing away from Shuiichi.

"I don't believe it..." Chloe whispered, eyes wide as she stared. Those two thugs looked like they could kill a man with one hand, yet they were afraid of calm Shuiichi? She'd never in her life seen him so much as raise his voice at another human being, much less threaten them. So what had he said to make them scared of him?

The men suddenly disappeared, leaving Shuiichi and Carmen in the front yard alone. Shuiichi turned to face the girl, and they seemed to be exchanging words. Chloe reached out a hand slowly and pulled her window open slightly, leaning in so her ear was to the opening. She could just make out what they were saying, although they were speaking in very low tones.

"-wasn't in any trouble. I would have taken care of them long before any humans decided to start sniffing around."

_'Humans?'_ Chloe's eyes widened startled. Just what had Carmen meant by that?

"Fair enough. But that still leaves the questions of what you are doing in the human world, how you got here, and why those men were trying to kill you."

Carmen waved her hand dismissively. "You don't really need to know that, now do you? I'm not here to cause trouble, I didn't come here in any form that would allow for other demons to follow me, and those men are none of your business."

"I still have to report you in to Spirit World."

"No, you don't. You could just let me go on my way. I don't want to cause any trouble."

"I have no reason to trust you. You-"

"I'm not going, say what you will."

"I don't see as you have a choice in the matter."

Chloe froze when she saw Carmen's eyes lock onto her own. Then Carmen's lips twisted into a smirk. "No, I believe it is you who has the choice. How far will you go in front of that neighbor girl of yours?"

Chloe didn't bother waiting to see if Shuiichi actually looked. She fled to her bed, leaping under the covers and burying herself in the blankets. She held her breath in suspense, waiting to see what happened next.

"Get up Chloe!"

Chloe jerked awake, her eyes darting around. She was in her room, in her bed, the curtains wafting lazily out from her window thanks to the breeze. "I can't believe you!" She muttered angrily at herself, crawling out of bed with an exhausted yawn. "How could you fall asleep? Didn't you want to know what happened next?" She fumed, grabbing a robe and a towel. She bathed quickly and got dressed, following her mother out into the cool morning. Her mother silently handed her a sandwich, which the teen took gratefully. She couldn't help sneaking a peek over her shoulder as they walked away; all seemed peaceful and quiet at Shuiichi's house.

_'It must have been a dream.'_ She told herself, quietly eating her breakfast. _'That's it. It had to have been a dream. There's no way any of that could have been real.'_ She glanced at her mother, surprised to see her mother looking at her. "What?" She asked finally, feeling the urge to look away. "Is there something on my face?"

Her mother frowned and pointed at her eye. "What happened to your face?"

Chloe was honestly surprised. "P-pardon? My face?" Her hand came up unconsciously and she winced when they hit the bruising on the side of her face. Her jaw dropped, a shocked feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "I-I think I fell off the bed last night." She covered, her mind racing.

Her mother seemed to accept it, but Chloe was still in shock. Carmen hadn't seemed to put any effort into the hit, and yet it was bruising like this? _'Embarrassing....'_ She grumbled in her head, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. She needed to stop thinking about it. Okay, so maybe it had been real. She was just so tired last night she'd misunderstood what they'd been talking about. That was it. Yeah.

Chloe was just stepping outside to eat her lunch when her phone started ringing. With a sigh she set down her lunch and put the device to her ear. "Hello?"

"Chloe!" An excited male voice came through the device.

Chloe broke into a smile. "Haru! How are you?"

"Not too bad. Why weren't you in school yesterday?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I sort of knocked down a box of canned peaches."

"Sort of knocked down a box of canned peaches? Either you did or you didn't knock down a box."

Chloe giggled. "Alright, so I knocked down the box."

"....And?" He prompted.

"And they all came tumbling down on my head."

"On your head?! Are you okay?"

She could hear the genuine concern in his voice, and it made her smile. "Yes, yes, I'm perfectly alright. A bit of a headache, but that's what painkillers are for."

"Glad to hear you're doing alright. You missed out on cleaning yesterday, and everyone was talking in school about how shameful it was for you to skip out on school when you weren't dying. You may have lived here you're whole life, but you still act like a foreigner." He teased.

Chloe sighed. "I know, I know. I can't help it. I get it from my parents."

"I'm not blaming you, I'm just telling you. So, anyway, the point of my calling, is that I was wondering if I could come over to watch some movies, maybe do some homework. We could even do some prep work for the entrance exams."

Chloe wrinkled her noise, moving into the alley to talk. "I doubt my mother will care, but I'll have to double check with her. As for the prep work, I don't know...I don't think the school will actually let me graduate early."

"Chlo, I've told you a hundred times, my father will make sure they do."

Chloe bit her lip – nervous habit. "I know, and he has a lot of money, but....I'm not eighteen. I'm seventeen. They only let eighteen-year-olds graduate. This is a fact, just like my hair being as brown as....mud."

"But mud is filled with interesting objects and green things."

"Are you implying I have green things growing in my hair?"

"Of course not. You miss the point."

"Then I fill it with interesting objects?"

"....Still missing the point. Your hair is not mud. It is hair. Beautiful brown hair."

"Hardly beautiful. If I colored it maybe..."

"Get over yourself." He sounded a little exasperated. "Must you always contradict me on this point? I think you have pretty hair."

"I'd agree, except that it matches my eyes. How stupid is that? So I either get colored contacts or color my hair."

"Or do nothing." He pointed out.

Chloe smiled a little, but rolled her eyes regardless. "You know I don't really have a choice in the matter, now do I?" She sighed. "My parents would never let me get it cut, much less colored."

"Thankfully you have me to brighten your boredom."

Chloe looked longingly at her food, but still didn't touch it; that would be rude. "I have other distractions you know." She retorted.

He was silent a moment, then responded brightly. "Like what, watching that neighbor of yours?"

Chloe went stiff as a board, her cheeks turning bright red. "H-Haru!" She stuttered – another nervous habit. She could hear him laughing on the other end, but she couldn't quite bring herself to forgive him. "Th-that was a low blow!" She hissed, looking around to be sure no one had been around.

He brought himself under control. "Come on Chloe. He's always on your mind. He's already been at college for over a year now, and you still have a crush on him?"

Chloe continued to blush furiously, and she stared intently at the ground, refusing to say anything.

"What happened, did he come home this weekend?"

Chloe chewed harder on her lip, her whole face red now. "H-Haru, please...."

He laughed a moment longer, then quieted himself. "Alright, I'm sorry. How about I make it up to you by taking you on a picnic?"

Chloe blinked, taken aback. One moment he was laughing at her expense the next he was offering to take her on a picnic? What the heck? "A picnic? I don't know. I'll have to-"

"I already talked with your mother. You have the rest of the afternoon off." A limo pulled up in front of the store and the window began rolling down.

Chloe looked at the car, unsurprised to see Haru's bleach-blonde hair appear from behind the dark tinted window. "Most people give the other person a chance to say no." She pointed out dryly.

"Ah, but that would be rude to refuse. Even your foreign sensibilities must be sensitive to that." He replied cheekily. "So, you coming?"

Chloe shut her phone and walked over to the car, shaking her head. "Scoot over."

He pushed open the door before sliding over to make room.

Chloe slid easily in and pulled the door shut. "Alright then maestro, where to?" She smiled, beginning to roll the window back up.

"Good gods Chlo, what happened to your face? Is that from the peaches?" He exclaimed, staring at the bruise.

Chloe looked self-conscious and covered the injury. "No..." She muttered.

Haru raised an eyebrow, leaning in closer to her. "Then...what is it from?"

Her mind raced, trying frantically to find an excuse for it. There was no way this side of heaven or hell that she was going to tell him the truth. As silly as it might sound, Carmen's threat still hung heavy in her mind. She was more scared of that woman than of Haru not believing her. "I tripped into my desk." She said finally.

"Tripped?"

"Yes."

"Into your desk?"

"Yes."

"With only that small part of the side of your face?"

"Yes."

She swallowed, nervously chewing on her lip and shifting her weight at the same time. His green eyes bore into her, trying to read her innermost thoughts. Suddenly he leaned back, shifting his gaze and shrugging. "Whatever."

Chloe struggled hard not to sigh with relief. She wasn't sure she'd have been able to hold up the facade much longer under close scrutiny.

"Thanks Haru." She waved as he left, turning and walking up to her front door. As she fished out her keys she glanced over at Shuiichi's house, freezing when she caught sight of Shuiichi and his mother sitting out on the front porch. They looked over, both giving her a smile of recognition.

Chloe flushed, barely managing to raise a hand to wave before she bolted into her house, shutting the door tightly behind herself. She took a deep breath, smiling like a school-girl. Even if he did have to return to school soon, she still had some time with him over this weekend. She sighed happily as she thought of the walk she'd taken with him after dinner last night....

_Shuiichi shut the door behind them, falling into step beside her. He seemed relaxed, easy right now as they strolled through the darkness._

_Chloe felt giddy and almost light-headed, although thankfully anything her face might betray was hidden by the darkness surrounding them._

_Shuiichi was the first to break the silence. "Our parents seem to get along well." He commented lightly._

_Chloe nodded, forgetting they were in darkness. "Yes they do.." She murmured, lacing her fingers behind her back._

"_I'm glad my mother has people around her." He seemed to smile in the darkness. "It was hard for her when I left."_

_Chloe didn't say anything, but she knew it was more true than he probably guessed. His mother had, and probably still did, miss him terribly. "Your step-father took extra good care of her when you left." She added reassuringly._

_When he said nothing she felt a little foolish for trying to reassure him. He hadn't asked to be reassured, he probably hadn't want to be reassured, she'd just felt somehow that he-_

"_I know. I'm grateful for his presence in her life." He spoke quietly._

_Chloe felt as if the subject were terminated, and thus did not pursue it more. "Soo..." She roused her courage and continued quickly. "How is sleeping in your own bed again?"_

"_Just the same as sleeping in my bed at school. A bed is a bed."_

_Chloe pulled to a stop. "You can't mean that." She protested timidly._

_Shuiichi also stopped, turning to face her. "Why do you say that?"_

_She blushed, once again glad for the pressing darkness. "W-well, I mean...." She swallowed, licking her lips. "There's something different about your own bed, something magical. Even if you own an apartment and are moved out, there's just something..magical about sleeping in your own bed in your parents' home. There's a safety and security and love that you can't find anywhere else."_

"_You speak from experience?" His voice had a slight teasing note to it._

_Chloe shook her head slowly. "As much as I can at seventeen. I just assumed..." She trailed off, feeling foolish now._

_He chuckled a little. "No need to feel embarrassed." He looked up at the sky, his face thoughtful. "You are right, though. It is different once you move out. It's..nice."_

"_You mean...you miss it?"_

_Shuiichi looked at her, finally nodding slowly. "Yes, you could say that. It is difficult at times being away from home."_

_Chloe clasped her hands behind her back, swaying slightly. "I can't wait to move out of my house." Her words were quiet but emphatic. She wanted to be away from her parents, out from under their fairly strict rules. To finally have some freedom._

"_You may find that you wish to be back once you actually leave." Shuiichi commented, his eyes studying her face. He saw her eyes harden, a flash of something the shortly disappeared._

"_No chance of that. Once I'm out I'm gone." She said flatly, tilting her head back to the moon._

_Soft music began playing from one of the near by houses. Shuiichi listened for a moment, then stepped forward. "Miss Scott, would you care to dance?"_

_Chloe's head snapped down, her eyes wide. She could feel her heart racing, and chills ran through her body. "E-excuse me?"_

"_Would you share this dance with me?"_

_She couldn't believe he was asking her, but she tentatively unclasped her hands. "I-I can't dance very well." She warned, bewildered as he took one hand in his and placed his other gently on her back._

"_That's alright. We're not competing."_

_She swallowed hard, willing her body to relax. Was this really happening? Was he really standing here, dancing with her? It was almost too good to be true. She could hardly bring herself to accept this reality. Yet his hands were warm, his face pleasant as he moved them slowly around._

_It would be nice to be able to say that he was so good she followed him perfectly, her feet and body moving in time with his. Unfortunately, reality was that she was truly not a good dancer and she was so nervous that she made it worse. She seemed to have two left feet._

"_I'm sorry..." She apologized for the hundredth time after stepping on his feet yet again, her eyes automatically turning downwards to try and fix the problem._

_Shuiichi his slight twitch of pain. "Please don't worry about it. You did warn me, after all." He pointed out lightly, trying to catch her eye and get her to relax._

_She looked up finally, giving an apologetic smile. "I know, but I'm still-"_

"_Please stop apologizing Miss Scott. Your mistakes are so small it doesn't even matter."_

_He was being nice. Way too nice. But she decided to let him. She relaxed as best she could with her heart racing erratically and his touch sending warm tingly feelings through her back and arms._

_She closed her eyes, letting a feeling of peace wash over her. A serenity took over her soul she hadn't felt in a while, and she couldn't stop it from showing on her face. Some thing stirred in her and she opened her eyes, surprised to find his eyes studying her intently._

_She smiled at him; he smiled back._

Chloe sighed happily, his smile still burned in her memory. She flopped down on her back on her bed, holding the curios box above her as she studied it. "Just what do you do?" She wondered, fiddling with it. It must open somehow, but it wasn't obvious how. She sat up, examining it closely. There seemed to be a faint design all around it, but it was too invisible to made out clearly.

She squinted her eyes, peering even closer at it. She was so unaware of her surroundings she jumped and gave a short scream when her vibrated against her leg. She gasped for air, one hand on her fast-beating heart. "Heaven almighty..." She picked up the phone and set it against her ear. "H-hello?" She answered shakily, her legs collapsing so she sat on the ground.

"Why are panting? What were you just doing?" Her mother asked suspiciously.

"Nothing mother, my phone just startled me." She responded quietly.

"Why are you being so quiet? Are you alone over there?"

"Miss Scott?"

Chloe's head whipped around. "Shuiichi?!" She exclaimed, scrambling over to the window. She pulled open the curtain and motioned for him to wait.

"Shuiichi? You have Shuiichi in the house?" Her mother's tone sounded very disapproving.

"No mother, Shuiichi just came to my open window. I'm home alone."

"Fine then. I'm probably gonna be home late, so I need you to make dinner. Your father has some guests coming over tonight."

_'There goes my evening.'_ She sighed internally, instead saying aloud "Alright mother. I'll take care of it. Good bye." She hung up then pulled the window all the way open. "You scared me." She leaned on the windowsill.

Shuiichi looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. We heard you scream and wanted to be sure it was nothing serious."

Chloe gave a small smile, waving her hand dismissively. "Y-you needn't have bothered. My phone just startled me was all."

"I see. Well, in that case, have a good day." He turned to leave, pausing a moment. "If you need help cooking, feel free to call our house." He added over his shoulder.

"I can't, but thanks anyway." She watched him walk away, a feeling of intense annoyance at her mother settling in her stomach. If not for her parents not allowing her alone in the house with anyone, boy or girl, she would have gladly accepted the offer for assistance.

With a sigh she shut her window and headed towards the kitchen, stopping long enough to shove the mysterious box under her bed before she left the room. She walked into the kitchen, checking the counters and the fridge. "There's enough here to feed an army.." She sighed, her arms growing tired just thinking about all the work this would take to prepare. But, having no other choice, she rolled up her sleeves and dove in.

She was standing in front of the stove stirring some of the noodles when she felt something sharp press into the small of her back and she froze.

"Move and this sword paralyzes you for the rest of your short life."

* * *

A/N: There's the third chapter. Hope you liked it. Please review. I hinted at the explanation behind her name, so I hope that satisfies some people. That's not all the explanation there will be, but that's all you get for now. I will be bringing in the original Yu Yu Hakusho characters, but I'm also going to be bringing in my own original characters, as proven by Haru and Carmen. :) Anyway, hope you come back for the next chapter!


	4. A Change of Pace

_Previously..._

_She was standing in front of the stove stirring some of the noodles when she felt something sharp press into the small of her back and she froze._

"_**Move and this sword paralyzes you for the rest of your short life."**_

"C-Carmen?" She stuttered, eyes wide.

There was a laugh behind her, followed by the pain leaving her back. "You recognized me, even though I lowered my voice?" She giggled, waltzing over to the table as she slid a long knife back into its sheath.

Chloe stood for a minute, willing her heart back into place before whirling around. "Don't do that!" She exclaimed angrily.

Carmen cocked her head. "I was just messin' with ya." She hopped over to the fridge and opened it.

"That wasn't funny." Chloe set her jaw and crossed her arms.

Carmen flipped an apple out of the fridge and shut the door with her foot, taking a bite out of the juicy fruit. "Mmm, there's nothing like a nice, cold, juicy apple." She sat cross-legged on the table again.

"Would you get off there? It's impolite to sit on a table; we eat off of that you know." Chloe tried to hide her annoyance, but it didn't work so well.

Carmen tilted her head, her pastel green bangs falling into her eyes. "Loosen up Chloe. I'll wipe it off if that's what you're worried about."

Chloe glanced out the window, checking her driveway. "You can't be here; my parents don't allow anyone here with me when I'm alone. And why do you keep speaking to me like you know me?" She turned back to the stove, stirring some of the food.

Carmen made a face at her back. "Because I do know you."

Chloe paused, her eyes moved with confusing. "P-pardon? You know me? How?"

Carmen took another bite of the apple. "Mmm, yummy apple."

Chloe sighed. "Please tell me." She asked again.

Carmen smiled secretively. "That would be telling, now wouldn't it?"

Chloe bit her lip, frustrated. "Wouldn't I remember you if we knew each other?"

"I didn't say you knew me."

"What does that mean?"

Carmen simply hopped off the table and strolled out to the living room, still happily munching her apple.

Chloe eyed her back, wishing like crazy that she would leave. If her parents found out she'd been there she'd get in so much trouble. She stirred the pot, anxiously listening for Carmen to leave. She was so intent on her reflections that she jerked when there was a knock on the front door. "Ouch!" She exclaimed as her spoon splashed boiling water on her hand. She let go of the spoon and grabbed a towel, running cold water on it and pressing it to her hand. She peeked out the kitchen window, gulping and flushing when she saw Shuiichi standing on the doorstep.

Carmen looked at her from the other room. "Aren't you going to answer that?" She asked bemusedly.

Chloe swallowed hard, taking a deep breath and fighting the blush from slowly walking to the door. She cleared her throat and blinked back the impending tears from the pain in her hand. She unlocked the door and pulled it open a little, still blinking at the tears. "Yes?" Her voice was a little more high pitched than normal they both noticed.

Shuiichi glanced down at her wrapped hand. "Are you alright?" He enquired.

Chloe felt a blush rising, but fought it frantically. "I'm fine. Just splashed some boiling water on my hand." She explained, still trying to get her voice under control.

"You should put ice on that so it doesn't blister too bad." He advised.

Chloe nodded in short, jerky moments, at this moment intensely aware of Carmen in the other room. "W-was that all you needed?" She asked, unconsciously biting her lip as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Actually, I came over to be sure everything was alright. I thought I saw someone else in the house with you, when last I knew there was no one but you home." He glanced behind her, as if trying to see.

Chloe's eyes widened against her will. "W-why would there be anyone else here but me?" She asked, uneasy. If word of Carmen's presence got back to her parents, there would be consequences. She could have died when Carmen coughed in the living room. The teen glanced over her shoulder, then back up at Shuiichi.

"Miss Scott, is someone in the living room?" Shuiichi asked quietly, looking directly at her.

"Nope." Carmen danced up behind Chloe, grinning widely as she bit into the apple. "I'm in the doorway now."

Chloe's eyes went wide and her heart dropped into her stomach. She was sooo dead.

Shuiichi looked at Carmen with a small smile, although his face seemed off somehow under Chloe's gaze. "So I see." He responded shortly.

Chloe felt an awkward tension between the two, although she couldn't explain why. She suddenly heard a fizzing going on in the kitchen. "The food!" She exclaimed, dashing back to the kitchen. She turned down the heat, grabbing hot mitts and pulling the pot off the stove and setting it in the sink. She took a step back, suddenly feeling the throbbing pain in her hand. She pulled off the mitt and look at her hand, a large portion of which was looking rather lobstery red.

She walked over to freezer and grabbed a tray of ice, dumping some in a mug. She then filled up the mug with cold water and stuck her hand in.

Cold. Burning cold.

She gripped the counter, squeezing her eyes shut. The burning sensation from the freeze was almost unbearable. She gave a small whimper and bit her lip hard, trying to concentrate on her breathing; it wasn't working too well so far.

She couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled her hand out, wrapping it up in the towel again. She walked back to the front doorway, her apology dying on her lips. "Shuiichi?" She pulled open the front door, looking around. Neither Shuiichi nor Carmen were anywhere in sight. It was unsettling the way those two seemed to come and go so suddenly. She shut and locked the front door, cursing her ill-luck to be looking so crappy and being such a ditz when Shuiichi had come to check on her.

"Why didn't I just invite him in for a minute? It certainly would have been the polite thing to do; Mother and Father couldn't have had a problem with it..." She mumbled, angrily kicking the door. "Back to cooking I guess."

Loud laughter erupted from the front of the house. Chloe glanced up from her desk, an annoyed look taking over her face. They were so loud, it was hard to do her homework with that racket going on. _'Can't they ever have a quiet party?'_ It was almost embarrassing, the way her parents refused to fit in with Japanese culture. They were foreign and were not shy about showing it. But she bent her head, putting herself to her task again.

More loud laughter and she slammed her pencil down, her lips taut. "This is too much." She shoved her books into her bag, slipped on shoes and a jacket, grabbed a flashlight, and crawled out of her window. She left it open behind her and crept along to the front of the house, avoiding the living room window.

"Running away?"

She whirled around with a gasp. "S-shuiichi!" She exclaimed, then planted a hand over her mouth and glancing over her shoulder. No one seemed to have heard so she let her hand drop. "Sorry, I just...um..." She bit her lip, not sure how to explain her actions. She was also caught up in the fact that she hadn't seen him since him and Carmen had just disappeared on her earlier, and she was mighty curious about that and the tension between the two. But she didn't dare ask.

He leaned against the car. He was standing between the open driver's door and the main body of the car, his keys held in the hand resting on top of the vehicle. Obviously he'd been preparing to leave, probably to go back to school. He waited patiently for an explanation.

Chloe finally gathered her thoughts and tried again. "It's too noisy in there, so I thought I'd go to the park or train station or something." She explained, coming a little closer so she didn't have to speak so loud.

Shuiichi glanced at the lit up house and the noise emitting from it with a knowing smile. "I see. They won't mind you going out by yourself this late?"

Chloe looked down at the ground. "They won't miss me for hours, and I left a note on my door asking not to be disturbed. I figured I'd be back before they even realized I was gone."

"Do you think this wise?" He queried. "What happens if they find you missing?"

She swallowed hard, not wanting to think about what her parents might do to her in their drunken state. "It'll be fine. I've got to get this homework done somehow. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

He nodded slowly. "Alright, well, I really have to get on my way back to school. Take care of yourself."

She gave a small wave as he backed out of the driveway and drove off, her hand dropping back down to her side. She glanced over her shoulder again at the noise coming from her house. His words were haunting her now: _"Do you think this wise?"_

"He's right, you know."

She whirled around and found Carmen leaning nonchalantly against the porch railing. "Why do you keep coming and going like this?" She hissed. It was unnerving the way Carmen seemed to be able to sneak up on her without so much as whisper of sound.

Carmen shrugged. "Nothing better to do. 'Sides, I like ya. You can be fun, when you're not being boring. And," she took a step forward "I gotta check up that you're not breaking our deal."

"You can hardly call it a deal. You threatened me-"

"Get over it already. You haven't done anything, so obviously you've agreed to keep my secret."

"Why is that box so important anyway?" Chloe couldn't help asking. It seemed so strange to be so serious over a little box. It was hardly bigger than a box for an engagement ring. What could be so important about that?

"None of your concern." Carmen hopped up and balanced on the rail, her hands coming up and playing with her braid.

Chloe scowled. "I don't understand any of this. What is the deal with that box? Why is your hair such a strange green? Why are your eyes yellow? Why-" Her words were cut off by Carmen's hand over her mouth, yet again.

"You ask far too many questions." Carmen's yellow eyes peered into her's, burning, dominating, threatening.

Chloe shrank from the intense gaze cast upon her. "Fine." She mumbled, relieved when Carmen finally removed her hand.

"Good. Then we can get on with our lives."

Chloe pulled her bag strap tighter. "I should do my homework." She headed back towards her bedroom window. She risked a glance over her shoulder prior to climbing back inside; Carmen was no where in sight.

_A few weeks passed, dull and uneventful. Carmen seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet. Shuiichi was at school. Chloe had almost forgotten about the mysterious box, until today..._

"31."

"Nope."

"72."

"Nope."

"85?"

"Nope."

"27."

"Nope."

"Haru, are you sure you're thinking of a number under a hundred?" Chloe asked, her brows furrowed with frustration.

Haru nodded from his place beside her on the bed, knowing she could only see him in her peripheral. "Yup."

"Well whatever it is I think it'll probably take me ninety-six more guesses to figure it out."

"Don't be grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy."

"Yes you are. I can hear it in your voice."

"You're imagining things." She rolled over to face away from him.

Haru propped himself up on an elbow, flipping some stray hair out of his eyes. "Chlo, what's bothering you?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Do you really wanna hear about girl problems?"

"You know I don't mind."

She blinked a few times, then repeated. "GIRL problems, Haru."

"Yeah, I still don't see why-Oooooh." He closed his mouth and laid back down, finally getting the picture. "Don't they have painkillers for that or something?"

She chuckled. Haru was so simple-minded something. "Pain isn't the only thing that comes with it, Haru. Besides, Mom won't buy anything for me. She never had bad cramps, so she insists that mine can't be any worse than her's were."

Haru sat up. "That's not fair. Everyone is different."

Chloe rolled over to face him. "Trust me, I know. But I just have to deal with it."

Haru shook his head. He liked Chloe's mother well enough some days, but time and time again he was amazed at the way that woman's brain worked. "How about I just get something for you? My driver can be here in two minutes flat." He started to pull out his phone.

Chloe put her hand on his phone. "Don't bother. If Mom finds out she'll make me work because obviously the drugs will make me feel one hundred percent." She rolled her eyes.

"They don't make the pain go away?"

Chloe gave a small smile. "Not really. It can help a lot, but it's not a magic pill that makes it all better."

"Anything I can do?" Haru asked, putting his phone away.

Chloe pointed at her movie shelf. "Stick in a movie and watch it with me."

Haru nodded, padding softly across the room. "Any idea when Shuiichi comes back again?" He asked, running his finger across the movies as he decided which to put in. "You've been over to his house a few times since he left, haven't you?"

Chloe pulled herself to the head of the bed so she could watch the movie. "Yeah, his mom is incredibly nice, but I haven't heard anything of when he's visiting again."

"Too bad for him." Haru muttered, putting in the DVD and walking back over to the bed. He crawled on, stretching out next to his friend and spreading his arms across the top of the pillows. Chloe curled in to his warmth, her eyes on the screen. Not even ten minutes passed before she found her eyes drooping shut. She was almost asleep when there was a loud 'boom!' followed by the lights going out.

Both teens jumped, Haru instinctively pulling her closer.

"What happened?" She asked, her heart pounding in her chest. "There's no storm."

Haru patted her shoulder. "I'm not sure. Maybe a tree fell on a power line. I'll go check the breaker." He released her and jogged out of the room.

Chloe stayed put on the bed, adrenaline and nervousness playing every sound ten times louder in her ears. "Haru?" She called hesitantly after a moment, crawling off the bed and creeping over to the door.

"Where is it?"

Chloe whirled around at the deep voice suddenly behind her. Lightening flashing outside, illuminating what seemed to be a very large man. "Wh-where's wh-what?" She stared, her feet inching backwards subconsciously.

"Don't pretend to be stupid." He took a menacing step forward.

She bolted, her feet almost losing traction on the ground she was desperately fleeing her way down the hallway. Before she even had time to scream she felt something hit her in the back and she went flying, crashing into the front door with a small cry.

"Hey!" Haru dashed in from the kitchen, glancing at Chloe before looking the other way. A hand grasped around his throat, tightening and lifting the boy off the floor.

"I'm not going to ask again. Where is the box?"

Chloe was too stunned to respond; she could barely comprehend what he was saying. Her head was swimming, and everything seemed somehow disjointed from her. She felt her lips move as if to speak, but no noise came from her lips.

Haru struggled weakly against the inhuman power in the hand around his throat, but his strength was fading rapidly. He felt his eyelids flutter as the lack of oxygen started effecting him. He felt himself suddenly ripped from the crushing grip and dumped near Chloe. Oxygen flooded into his lungs, and he immediately started coughing violently, one hand grabbing his aching neck.

"You should have known better than to cross me by involving them!"

Chloe jerked a little. Carmen? What was she doing here? "Carmen?" She whispered dazedly, sensation starting to climb back into her.

Haru took in a few more gulps of air, his eyes turning upwards. The woman that had appeared, dressed rather oddly he noted, seemed to be glowing. She wasn't afraid at all, despite the fact that this man towered over her by several feet.

"Get Chloe into the basement." The woman told him over her shoulder. "Do it!" She ordered. Suddenly both she and the intruder disappeared, although somehow Haru knew that they weren't really gone. But he wasted no time wondering what had happened. He leapt over to Chloe and pulled her to her feet. "Come on!" He pulled her along behind him as he ran through the kitchen and through the door that led to the basement. He flipped on the light switch as they entered and then pulled the door shut and locked it.

"We're safe now." He told Chloe, leading her more gently now down the stairs.

Chloe followed him quietly, although her vision seemed to be clearing more now; she seemed more aware of what was going on than she had upstairs.

"Sit down." Haru pushed her gently into a sitting position, bending to peer into her eyes. "How are you feeling?" He asked, brushing one hand over her head to see if there were any injuries.

Chloe smiled shakily at him. "I'm all right... I think. I just got the wind knocked out of me for a little while there was all."

Satisfied that there were no serious injuries the boy sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Do you know what that was all about back there?"

Chloe didn't say anything. Carmen had made her promise not to say anything, but after he was so involved now it seemed silly to try and brush the attack off as nothing. Screw Carmen. Haru deserved to know. "I'm not entirely sure why, but- no, I have to go back further. Nearly four weeks ago I had just crawled into bed when I got a funny feeling, like I wasn't alone..."

She told him everything, from the battle she'd sort of witnessed, to the box, even to Carmen's popping in repeatedly with no warning and without using a door. "There's been nothing for four weeks, and now all this." She shuddered, leaning closer to her friend. "I don't understand it, but I feel like there's something big going on and I'm unconsciously a part of it now."

Haru wasn't even really listening anymore. He'd already made up his mind. Give the box back to Carmen, tell her to stay the hell away from Chloe. Sounded about right, now he just needed a chance to say it.

They both jumped when the doorknob rattled above them. The both swallowed hard and stared up at the door, knowing if it was the intruder they were screwed no matter how far into the basement they hid.

There was a knock on the door followed by "Hey! It's Carmen. He's gone."

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and they both went up and unlocked the door. They pushed it open and stepped out, glad to see he was no where in sight, just Carmen, who looked rather sober for once.

"Are you two all right?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"We're fine." He turned to glance at Chloe. "About this-"

"Good grief, look at your neck!" Carmen exclaimed, her yellow eyes seeing something in the dim lighting. She skipped over to the freezer and got out a cold pack, pressing it gently onto his neck. "You'll wanna keep that one ice for a while, although you're still gonna have explaining to do."

He held it, obediantly, but opened his mouth to speak. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough. Chloe beat him to it. "What have you gotten me into?" She asked. She'd meant to demand an answer, but it came out more timid than impressive.

Carmen looked between the two of them, her mind obviously racing as she debated what and how much to tell them. "Before I explain anything, _if_ I explain anything, I should add, let make one thing clear: I thought they wouldn't figure out I handed it off, least of all to a (mumble) human, and I didn't think they'd be able to find you. That said, I was just as surprised when that, uh, man showed up here."

"Doesn't matter if you were surprised." Haru spoke up, feeling irritation and anger swelling up. "You put Chloe in danger! All for what, a stupid little box?!"

Carmen's eyes flashed, and Chloe felt a flash of fear. There was something incredibly dangerous lurking beneath that woman's carefully arranged demeanor.

"Don't speak of what you know nothing of." She growled, somehow seeming more fearsome than her short stature would suggest. "That box is more important than you can imagine."

"Then take it back. Get Chloe out of this now." Haru was feeling a cold sense of fear grip his heart, but concern for Chloe kept him going on.

"Haru..." Chloe took his arm, trying to pull him back a little. She could see the murderous glint in Carmen's eyes; it looked like she was ready to tear the boy apart. "Let's not do anything hasty here..."

Carmen quickly hid her hands behind her back, although she certainly didn't seem to be backing off. "You cannot imagine the repercussions of that action. Besides, it is safe enough here."

"Oh yeah, real safe-" Haru began.

"They found her, yes, but I won't be far away this time."

"Why does it have to stay here anyway? Why don't you just take it and bury it or something?"

"You're getting on my nerves, human..." Carmen's eyes narrowed.

Chloe's eyes widened. "Wh-what did you call him?"

Carmen pulled back, immediately realizing her mistake. "Human. He's acting it." She covered, digging her fast growing nails into her palms to try and stop the growth.

Chloe looked up at Haru. He didn't seem to believe the woman facing them. "You're lying." He stated, taking a step forward. "What aren't you telling us?"

All three stiffened when they saw headlights through the kitchen window. "My parents." Chloe gasped out, panicked.

Everything happened in a blur. Carmen grabbed the two and whipped them down to the bedroom. "Remember, not a word." She hissed, shutting the door.

Haru snatched his things and bolted for the window, crawling out and landing softly on the ground. "I'll call you later." He whispered, creeping to the front of the house, his phone already out to call his driver.

Chloe crawled into bed after flipping off the light, pulling the covers up to her neck and take a few deep breaths, trying to imitate sleeping patterns. _'Please don't notice anything..'_ She prayed.

She heard a soft knock on the door accompanied by "Chloe?" from her mom. The door creaked, there was a short silence, then the soft click of the lock.

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, daring a peek at her door. She jumped when she saw the window curtain ruffle a little bit. Her thoughts jumped to the intruder and what might have happened if Carmen hadn't shown up. Fear squeezed at her heart and there was one though on her mind now: I'm alone.


	5. Demons

Shuiichi sipped his coffee quietly, his emerald eyes reading over the story in the newspaper. A strange animal attack in Tokyo Park. That was by his home. "Perhaps I'll visit home this weekend..." He murmured, glancing at his watch. It was time to go home. He gathered his things and strolled out, flashing a smile at the waitress on his way out. His walk back to his apartment was not unpleasant. Pleasing smells and sights greeted him the whole way.

"Kurama..."

His feet slowed on the bridge, his face betraying none of the shock running through his mind; he hadn't heard that name in a long time. But his acute hearing had never been wrong. He strolled to the edge of the bridge, his eyes peering unobtrusively downwards.

"Kurama...under the bridge...please...hurry..."

Whoever it was, she seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Shuiichi finished crossing the bridge, nonchalantly climbing down to the water's edge. He walked slowly towards the bridge, forcing his eyes to stay on the water. This smell told him something disturbing: flowing demon blood. He looked up, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness around him.

A demoness lay on her side on the bank, hidden as far under the bridge as she could be. Her lion tail lay limp on the ground, blood stains up and down it. Kurama recognized her as a demoness he'd worked with on occasion through Spirit World. "Kaiya?" He hurried over, kneeling and rolling her over gently.

Her large yellow eyes looked drowsily up him. "I knew you'd be here." She wheezed out, her claws digging into her own skin to drown out the pain. "You always...walk this path...to go home."

"What happened to you?" Kurama asked, pressing his hands against one of her wounds. He needed to get the bleeding to stop or else she was going to bleed out, demon or not.

"What is it humans say? … Dead men … tell no tales." She smiled weakly.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." His mind raced as he thought of how to get her to his apartment without arousing any suspicions. He couldn't help her until he had some privacy. "Here." He pulled his scarf off and gently wrapped it around her waist, tying the knot over the worst of the wound. Thank goodness he wore a dark scarf. He followed up with his jacket, sitting her up and slipping it around her shoulders. "Up you come."

She moaned in her throat as he pulled her to her feet. He pulled her arm around his shoulders and wrapped his arm gently around her waist. "One step at a time." He encouraged, pulling his bag over his other shoulder.

Kaiya limped next to him; her right foot was dragging a little, but she tried to hide it. She plastered a smile on her face, holding her right arm to her side, putting pressure on the wound. "I'm glad...you don't live far."

Kurama smiled genteely, trying to take as much of her weight as possible on himself. "How do you know my routine and apartment?"

"Contrary...to popular belief...you're not friendless in Makai. Some of us still...keep tabs on you..."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. Demons were keeping track of him? That was unuexpected ... and worrisome at the same time. But he kept his suspicions to himself, just trying to keep her on her feet until they got to the apartment. "Just a few more steps." He used his free hand to grab his keys and open his front door.

"Shuchi!"

He paused at the small voice, listening to the tiny footsteps followed by a small girl throwing herself into his leg. "Hello Aiko." He greeted, feeling Kaiya lean more heavily on him; she was fading. The little black-haired girl turned her face up to him, grinning, revealing crooked little teeth. "Will you come play with me?" She asked in her angelic voice.

"I'm sorry Aiko, but I've got company right now, okay? I'll come see you tomorrow, alright?"

Her face turned sad and she hugged his leg tighter. "You promise you'll come?"

He smiled gently, patting her head softly. "I promise I'll try, I can't promise I'll come."

She looked even sadder, but nodded and let go when she heard her mother call from the apartment a few doors down. "Bye!" She scampered off.

Kurama hoisted Kaiya with his one arm. He dropped his bag and keys on the couch and shut the door with his leg as he lifted her in his arms. He carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. "Stay awake, Kaiya." He pulled the curtains shut and pulled open a drawer, withdrawing a small lockbox and a first aid kit from inside. He put the items on the bed and left the room for a moment for towels and water.

Kaiya's eyes drifted in and out of focus as she fought for consciousness. Even if Kurama had told her to sleep, she couldn't – she was too afraid she wouldn't wake up.

Kurama came back in, pulling a chair over and setting up the water and towels on the nightstand. "Let's take a look." He untied the scarf and pulled her shirt up, feeling a little sick, despite all the battle wounds he'd seen in his life. A large chunk of her right side had been gouged out, by claws or teeth or what he couldn't tell. There were more, lighter wounds around it as well. The sickening part was the black color that was spreading from the center of all the wounds; whatever had caused this had poisoned tips. He pulled on the chain around his neck to reveal a key, with which he unlocked the box. Inside was his private stash of rare Makai herbs, one of which he would need for this.

"Kaiya, what kind of demon did this to you?" He asked, dipping the towel in the water and then gently beginning cleaning around the wound.

"A lion demon." She closed her eyes, grimacing at he wiped the raw skin.

"I remember you as being quite the fighter. Did he surprise you?" Kurama dipped the towel in the water again, a sinking feeling as all the water turned dark red.

The corner of Kaiya's mouth twitched. "You...could say that..."

Kurama fell silent, setting down the towel and picking up a medical needle and thread. "This will hurt."

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Kurama rocked back and forth as he watched Kaiya sleep on the bed. She was pulling through the night so far now that he'd gotten her sewn up and given her an antidote for the poison. He used his leg to move the chair, his eyes staring at nothing in particular as his mind digested what had happened and decided on his next move. Demons tracking him was quite dangerous; but then, what was he to do? He couldn't kill every demon in Makai. He had no idea who was tracking him, but so far this was the first he'd heard about people still being interested in his whereabouts and activities.

This information put a new light on things. His mother, his step-father, his step-brother – they were all in danger. They'd been in danger for a long time, and he'd never even known it.

"Gah-OW!" Kaiya grimaced, her eyes opening quickly when she stirred. "How long have I been asleep?" She asked.

Kurama leaned forward. "Several hours. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell." She smiled slightly. "But, I'm alive, and I thank you for that."

Kurama nodded. "You're welcome. Are you hungry?"

Kaiya shook her head. "No time for that. We need your help."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Who's we? And what kind of help are we talking about?"

"Your old crew, the crew I'm part of, and a few various..others. Spirit World even needs your help, although they don't realize it just yet." She cleared her throat.

"My help? Why do you need my help?" He was getting more and more suspicious, and still curious.

"Because you know the girl who holds the key to this whole mess. Your neighbor girl, Chloe. Carmen gave her a box, one that thief stole from Spirit World."

Kurama worked hard to keep his countenance, but the shock was great. Chloe was a very shy, very sweet, _very _human girl. What had possessed Carmen to involve her? He was going to harm that demoness at the next possible chance. "What's in the box?"

"A piece of a medallion, one which if put together will bring a time of darkness to Makai."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "As if Makai wasn't already a dark place?"

Kaiya sat up, on hand on her side. "You don't understand. I'm not speaking of a cloud covering or sadness. It would bring back a demon, Raidon."

Kurama coked his head, searching Youko's memories. "Raidon? I don't think I've heard that name before."

"There are few who have. There are none now who remember what happened when he was not contained."

"Then how do you know of him?"

"The story has been passed down among certain groups. Some protect the pieces, while others want to complete the puzzle for their own ends. Spirit World stumbled upon this particular piece and has kept it locked up. We've never worried because chances of stealing it successfully out of the Spirit World's secret vault is nearly impossible."

"Except for-"

"Yes, except for Carmen. What her deal in this business is I'm not entirely sure; she's never taken sides before, so I cannot believe that she's done it this time."

"She's a mercenary Kaiya. I could believe anything of her." He stood and walked to his desk, his jaw tight. Chloe lived next door to his mother. Danger to Chloe meant danger to his family. "Dammit Carmen, what were you thinking?" He muttered angrily.

"Kurama, whatever you may-"

"Shuiichi, Kaiya, please. We're not in Makai." He interupted.

Kaiya growled as she sat up. "Whatever. My point is, don't underestimate Carmen. She is reputed to be a mercenary, yes. Highly intelligent, a schemer, etc. She knows what she's doing."

"She may know what she's doing but she's now dragged my family into it. For that-"

"Please." She held up a hand. "I understand your sentiments of irritation, but there are bigger things at stake here. That girl needs protection, more than Carmen will be able to supply."

Kurama looked at her suspiciously. "I gave up that life a while ago." He answered calmly, quietly. "I'll protect my family, but that is as much as I want to do with demons and Spirit World. You have friends; let them protect her."

"Ku-, I mean, Shuiichi, please, I'm begging you, listen to me. How can we possibly protect her? She doesn't know us, Carmen doesn't know us, neither one will trust us." She paused, then continued. "If Raidon comes back, neither Spirit World nor the Human World is safe anymore. It took the combined strength of all three worlds just to seal him away last time, and that was when relations between the worlds were MUCH better than now. Please, can't you see this does affect your family, if not directly at this exact moment?"

Kurama said nothing for a moment, instead letting his mind explore this turn of events. Yes, he could see how it could affect his family, if the shards fell into the wrong hands, but Carmen – aah. Here was why he was feeling inclined to help. He didn't trust Carmen, especially not when it came to matters concerning his family. "I'll help turn the shard AND Carmen over to Spirit World, but that is as far as my involvement will go." He said firmly, an unsettling feeling of not knowing what he was getting himself into taking over his stomach.

Kaiya nodded quickly. "Whatever you want."

"Now please lie back and get some rest? You'll heal faster if don't move around." Kurama left the room, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he did so. He dialed a familiar number and put the mobile to his ear. "Hello mother..."

* * *

Chloe opened her eyes slowly to the sunlight streaming through her window. She glanced at the clock, surprised to see that it was three in the afternoon; she'd managed to get a couple more hours of sleep after school. She stretched and rolled out of bed, her socked feet making no sound as she shuffled to the window, throwing open the curtains. The sun was bright and there was not a cloud in sight. It was looking like it was going to be a beautiful Saturday afternoon. "Mom? Dad?" She called, heading to the front of the house.

Silence.

She found a note on the kitchen table. It read: "_Chloe, we closed the shop for today and have gone on a trip. We'll be back in a few days._" Chloe raised an eyebrow. "A spontaneous trip? And without me... tch. Figures." She crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash, her mind brimming with ideas for what she could do with all this freedom. First choice: run down to the beach. She dressed quickly, putting a bathing suit on under a large white t-shirt and jean shorts. As soon as she stuffed sunglasses, a towel, and some food in a bag she shot out of the door, her sandaled feet moving speedily over the ground.

"Miss Scott?"

She froze at the voice behind her. It...it couldn't be. "Shuiichi?" She squeaked, turning slowly to look behind her. There he stood, leaning against his gate, red hair pulled into a low ponytail, as real as ever.

He smiled a little, nodding. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" He inquired nonchalantly.

She swallowed hard, forcing her legs to carry her back to him. "Th-the beach." She caught his eyes for a moment, but had to look down at the fence so as not to blush.

"It does seem to be a rather nice day for that sort of excursion." His tone was warm, somehow a little different than normal. "Are you going by yourself?"

She nodded in short, jerky movements. "Y-yeah. Haru had to fly to Egypt with his father. My parents are on a trip, so it's just me."

"I see. Would you care for some company? I haven't been to the beach in a long time, it would be nice to get out there again."

Chloe could hardly believe her luck. Shuiichi was asking to come with her, just the two of them? This chance was one in a million. Gripping tightly to her bag she lifted her eyes to meet his. "S-sure. Some company would be nice." She smiled a small smile.

He smiled again, standing up straighter. "Would you like to wait inside? I'll be just a moment."

She shook her head. "I'm fine here." She watched him walk inside, dropping to the ground and leaning against the fence. She brought her hands up to her cheeks, her eyes bright with excitement. Shuiichi was coming with her to the beach! He'd _asked_ to come with her. It felt like a dream. She sighed happily, bringing her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

"Are you alright miss?"

The voice sent chills through her whole body and her head jerked up; her brown eyes met dark orange orbs with a piercing gaze. No words came out her mouth, although her mind was reeling.

_Her head came up to look at the stranger, but his eyes caused her apologies to die on her lips._

_The stranger's eyes were a dark orange, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. "I'm terribly sorry." The well-dressed man purred, lifting her hand and pressing it to his lips. "How rude of me."_

It was the same man! _'How could this be? I-I never thought I'd see him again. Thi-this sort of thing just doesn't happen-!'_ She thought to herself, saying instead. "I-I'm sorry?" She didn't know why, but she suddenly found herself wishing that Shuiichi would hurry up and get out here to rescue her.

"I asked if you were alright. It's a little unusual to see a young woman curled up by herself on the sidewalk in front of a house that isn't her own." He bent down towards her, his eyes not losing any of their intensity. "A gentleman couldn't possibly leave a lady in distress by herself."

"She is neither alone nor distressed, I can assure you." Shuiichi stepped up to the gate.

Chloe looked up at him. His face was a mask of calm and politeness, but beneath it she thought she saw something protective, dangerous. If he had been looking at her, she was sure she would have shivered right about now. Her eyes moved back to the stranger, watching for his reaction.

"My apologies." His tone was smooth, perfect. He bowed to the both of them, turning to leave, but not before leaving them with a very strange statement. "Watch her carefully. It only takes a moment." Then he strolled away.

Chloe just watched him go, confused about his last statement, confused about his presence, and confused about what had passed between Shuiichi and him when their gazes met.

Shuiichi opened the gate, keeping an eye on the stranger until he was out of sight. "You sure know how to attract the creepy strangers." He teased, extending a hand to help her up.

She took it and stood, pointing out "He brings me a grand total of one. You can hardly say that I 'know how to attract them'..." She dusted off her legs, falling in to step beside him.

"A valid point, but he is rather scarier than your average stranger, wouldn't you agree?"

She didn't say anything to agree or disagree. Her mind was filled with images of a large man illuminated by lightening. She flinched at the memory,quickly covering it with. "He is pretty creepy."

Kurama watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye. There was definitely something she was trying to cover up now. "Miss Scott, has anything happened lately?" He asked quietly, keeping his face calm and pleasant, hoping she'd trust him enough to tlel him, whatever it was. She'd need to start trusting him if he was going to be able to protect from the danger potentially coming her way.

Her eyes widened. "H-happened? How do you mean?" She swallowed hard, wondering how he could have possibly known about the attack at her house.

"You know you can trust me, Miss Scott, do you not?"

Chloe looked to the side. She knew he knew Carmen, in some way, and she did know he was definitely a trustworthy person. She'd been around him her entire life, she knew what sort of a person he was. "You know a woman named Carmen, don't you?" She began timidly.

Kurama felt a distaste in the back of his throat, but said genteely "I'm acquainted with her, yes."

Chloe took a deep breath and took the plunge.

Kurama listened with some surprise as she narrated her story. She was calm throughout the telling, although she did admit to being pretty shaken up by everything, and horribly confused about all that had happened. He waited till she was finished before asking any questions. "So Haru knows about everything that has happened?"

She nodded silently, unsure of what sort of a reaction to expect from him.

"I'm sorry."

Her head whipped around to look at him. There was a look on his face she'd never seen before, she couldn't even think of how to describe it. "It's not your fault." She blurted, just wanting his face to go back to the usual easy, strong face she knew so well.

In an instant his expression fell back gracefully into it's usual arrangement. "Of course not." He gave a small smile, unconsciously using an arm to hurry her out of the intersection they were crossing. "Do you mind if I ask you a question? It's not really related to what you just told me, it's just something you said once that has been bothering me for a little while.

Chloe was surprised, but nodded. "Sure. Ask away."

"When we were talking on the way home from your family's grocery store the subject of your brother came up. You said he and his journals inspired you. You said he _was_ a scientist, past tense. What happened to him? I've never seen him around your house, and I've never heard him mentioned before."

She was silent a moment, chewing on her lip again as per her habit. "We dont really know. He was living in Germany at the time, doing research for some private company. He called me every weekend so we could discuss life, science, etc." She smiled as she remembered those times But her smile faded as her memories moved on. "Then one weekend he didn't call me. I assumed he was just working overtime for the company, although it was very unusual that he didn't find ten minutes even to call me. But I let it go, assuming he'd call the next weekend. He didn't. After a few weeks of nothing I tried calling his apartment and his cell without any luck. I tried for three days in a row – nothing. Finally my parents contacted a private investigator over there." She drew in a deep breath, old emotions and worries resurfacing.

Kurama let her take her time, his curiosity piqued.

"His apartment looked just as it would if he'd left for work that morning. A cold pot of coffee on the counter, dirty dishes in the sink, everything else clean, and one hat, scarf, and jacket missing from the front closet. The detective, he- he found my brother's car, pulled off to the side of the road. The front fender looked as if it had hit something, maybe an animal or fire hydrant. The inside of the car had blood spatters everywhere, but they never did find any body." Her gaze lowered.

He felt a wave of sympathy for her. Most likely her brother had hit a demon that had, well, dispatched the human and disposed of the body. She continued before he could say anything. "He'll come back. I know he will." She took a deep breath, blinking her eyes rapidly.

Kurama looked sideways at her. He didn't want to kill her dreams and tell her that her brother was quite likely very dead by now, but neither did he want to see her hope in vain. She was already so close to the truth now that it didn't seem fair to keep this last bit from her. _'Don't hope too hard.'_ He kept that thought to himself.

* * *

Carmen blinked, her chest hardly moving as she watched Kurama and Chloe on the beach. Chloe was wading, almost swimming now. "Are you really that blind Kurama?" Carmen commented to herself, shifting her position in the tree. She pulled the sticks out of her hair, allowing the long braid to fall so she could play with it. "She hold a great deal of affection for you. Either you're blind, or you are choosing to ignore it. Either way, that's..." She trailed off, her eyes glued to something moving out in the water. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. It looked like more than just a school of harmless fish. "Dammit!" She leapt off the branch and bolted forward, jamming her hair sticks onto her belt. "Get her out of the water!" She yelled at Kurama, her feet flying at demonic speed.

Chloe and Kurama both looked, Kurama reacting instantaneously and running for Chloe. "Chloe! Get out of the water!" He called, knowing better than to question Carmen at this moment.

Chloe looked at the two of them, turning towards the shore. "What?" She called, moving slowly towards the shore, shading her eyes with one hand.

Carmen's feet had just touched the water when she saw Chloe suddenly disappear under the water. "CHLOE!" She yelled, gulping in a breath of air and taking a flying leap into the water. She didn't dare look for Kurama; he was undoubtedly right behind her. She could just see Chloe's white shirt ahead in the water; her arms swam strongly, pulling her ever closer to the girl. Carmen poked her head out of the water for a moment to gulp in another breath of air before plunging down into the depths of the sea, diving after the creature that had Chloe.

Chloe stared in terror and the creature that had her. It looked like a huge jellyfish, but the end of all the tentacles had tiny hand-like appendages, some of which were holding her, some of which were searching her. There were two very large eyes, both of which were looking directly at her.

_'Where is it?'_

Chloe's eyes widened when she heard a voice in her head, and it definitely was not her own.

_'Where's the shard?!'_

The voice was getting angrier at her apparent silence, and the arms gripping her squeezed painfully tight. Chloe gasped at the crushing force, air rushing from her lungs. She felt panic rush over her in waves as her lungs begged for fresh air. She struggled against the arms restraining her, adrenaline pumping in her veins. Unfortunately, she was still no match. She couldn't hold out anymore; her lungs tried to draw in breath, getting nothing but water. She choked and coughed violently, consciousness fleeting from her grasp.

Carmen saw Chloe's body jerk; she'd probably just taken in a breath of water. Suddenly something thin and green flicked past her, wrapping around the unconscious girl and pulling the girl and the creature back towards the surface. Carmen heard the creature let out a yowl as it felt itself being dragged around. She didn't bother looking; she knew that was Kurama's doing. Carmen flicked out her long claws and took on the beast, slicing through tentacles left and right to free Chloe. "You stupid mutt!" She spat bubbles at the creature, a strange giddiness at seeing the creature's blood flowing freely through the water.

Kurama gave one more good pull, this time freeing Chloe and bringing her towards him. He continued pulling till she was in his arms. He let go of the vine and swam for the surface, glad when he finally broke the surface. He gasped in a large breath of air, pulling Chloe up. "Come Chloe, breath!" He slapped her cheek gently, kicking his feet and taking her towards shore.

Carmen gave a final slice before kicking off the dead beast and swimming strongly for shore. She caught up to Kurama and the unconscious girl just Kurama was able to begin walking again. "Is she breathing?" The green-haired woman wheezed.

Kurama got back onto the shore, laying the girl down and putting his ear to her mouth. "No." He pumped on her chest a few times before plugging her nose and blowing air into her lungs. He sat up and pumped on her chest a few more times and then gave her more breath.

Chloe suddenly started coughing violently, sending the water from her lungs.

Kurama rolled her onto her side so she could clear her airways. He felt a wave of relief wash over him now that she was recovering. He glanced up at the nearby Carmen, both sharing a look. This was only going to get worse.

Chloe took in several deep breaths of air, feeling weak and exhausted, but very glad to be alive. She sat up slowly, her arms wrapping around her shivering frame.

Carmen lifted Kurama's jacket and draped around the girl's shoulders. "You're safe now." She crouched down to get to eye level.

Chloe pulled the jacket tight, feeling tears slip down her cheeks. "If...if you hadn't been here..." She ducked her head.

Kurama waited a moment before deciding on his course of action. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "But we were, and you're safe. It didn't hurt you, did it?" He used his free hand to tilt her chin up.

She shook her head.

Carmen stood and walked to the water's edge, her jaw set, her mind whirring. She couldn't let this continue. The attacks would only get worse. Something had to be done, now.

"Wh-what was that...that thing?" Chloe asked, taking in a shaky breath and lifting her head.

"A monster, from my world." Carmen answered, turning to face her.

Kurama gave Carmen a warning look, alarm bells ringing in his head. What was Carmen doing?"

"Huh?" Chloe looked confused.

Carmen pulled her hair sticks out and beging winding her braid back onto her head. "I'm not from this world, in case you haven't already guessed as much. I come from a place known as the Makai, the Demon World. I'm not a human as I led you to believe – I'm a demon." She paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing. "Not a demon as they are commonly portrayed. Many demons, such as myself, have human characteristics, but have powers that humans only dream of. Not all demons are humanoid though. There are many, like the one that tried to take you, that are sentient but don't have a thing in common with humans."

Chloe was silent. Kurama tried to gauge her reaction, but he couldn't read her at all. "Chl- Miss Scott?"

She looked between the two. "Demons." She said finally.

Carmen nodded, putting her hands on her hips. "Demons. Humans don't know about them, and Spirit World works hard to keep it that way. Spirit World is the third realm. They're sort of the gatekeepers between the living and the dead, for both humans and demons."

Chloe shifted away from Kurama. "Why did you tell me all this?" She asked quietly.

"Because you're in the middle of something that will change everything you know and everything you are. And because you'll get killed if we tried to keep you in the dark." Carmen finished putting her hair up, vibrating her whole body to dry off a little.

Kurama tried to catch Chloe's eye, to see how she was reacting to all of this information. "You don't have to be part of this. You shouldn't be part of this, really." He spoke kindly. "Unfortunately, it would be difficult to extricate you now, even if we took the shard away. Demons would still be after you."

Chloe looked slowly at him. "You...you knew about all this?"

Kurama nodded. "I told you I've lived a strange life."

The girl staggered to her feet, looking at the both of them before turning and walking away across the sand.

"Where are you going?" Kurama called after her, also rising to his feet.

She paused, simply saying over her shoulder "I need to be alone."


	6. A Disappearing Act

A/N: Hey all, sorry about the wait. I've been pretty busy, and waiting for some inspiration to come to me. But, here's the next part, hopefully the following chapter won't be too long in the works. :)  


* * *

Carmen stood still, slowly stretching her neck. She could feel Kurama's eyes boring into her, but she refused to look at him. "You needn't give me that look." She commented dryly. "I know what I'm doing."

"I'm trying to find the logic in any of your actions till now, but I confess I'm having little success. Do explain."

"You are neither judge nor jury." She looked at him finally, her yellow eyes unreadable.

"No, but I could turn you in to Spirit World and let them decide your fate."

"You could do that. But you won't."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "At present it seems to be a bad move, yes, but that doesn't stop me later on. What is the purpose of keeping your plans a secret?"

"If it's secret, I'm safe." She replied enigmatically. "However, in this case, I will share what I'm going to do, since I will need assistance putting it into action. Not just your's, but Spirit World's as well." She took a breath and continued. "I'm going to put together a tournament. One-on-one battles, winner takes all."

"What's the prize?"

"The completed medallion."

"That's seems a rather stupid plan. Who's going to fight in the tournament?"

Carmen turned to face him, an excited glint in her eyes. "I am. I knew you wouldn't fight, and I am not leaving this thing to those guys you ran around with playing hero for a while."

"Don't underestimate Yusuke and Kuwabara."

"Whatever. I'm not bringing anyone I don't have to into this scheme."

"Did you consider Hiei?"

Carmen's lips twitched. "Oh I considered him. However, our history is not such that he would willingly be within a hundred kilometers of me if he wasn't trying to kill me. In any case, it should be me – it must be me."

Kurama didn't press her about the history with Hiei, although he was sure it was an interesting one. "Where do you propose to hold this tournament?"

"The Makai plains."

"What happens if you don't win?"

Carmen's face seemed to change, to tighten a little. "You better hope you can get yourself and Chloe out of there in time."

"What exactly do you have planned?" Kurama pressed, unease creeping into his heart.

Carmen face smoothed back into her normal easy and unreadable expression. "Like I said, get yourselves out of there quick." She repeated, walking past him. "I'm going to check on Chloe."

Kurama snagged her arm. "Perhaps it's better if I do that. I have a feeling she'll respond better to me."

Carmen snorted. "I beg to differ. The problem here is that she doesn't have a choice. She just has to accept and move on. There is no room for coddling here."

"Throwing cold water on her and telling her to accept it won't help either." He retorted.

"_She_ is right here."

The both looked towards the sound of Chloe's voice. She was standing a few feet away from them, her face more peaceful than when she left them a little while ago. "Well?" Carmen asked, pulling her arm out of Kurama's grasp.

"I'm not doing it. You can find someone else to guard your shard."

Carmen snorted. "You do have a sense of humor." She said dryly.

Chloe's brows furrowed. "I'm not kidding. You can-"

"Listen Chloe," Carmen stepped towards her, her presence somehow more impressive than her stature "I didn't tell you everything because you had a choice: you don't. I told you so it would be easier on all of us for protecting you and protecting the shard."

"I don't want to do it." Chloe bit her lip, scowling a little.

Carmen chuckled. "Of course not. Who would? I don't even want to do this. But everthing is already in motion. Frankly, it doesn't matter whether or not you want to do it; it doesn't even matter by this point if you actually have the shard. Half of Makai now views you as the connection to myself and the shard. I could leave now and they would still come after you and kill you for not giving them what they want."

Chloe swallowed. "If you can spread that I have it, can't you tell people that I-"

Carmen laughed disbelievingly. "You are so naïve and innocent Chloe, it truly amazes me sometimes. I'm not the one that told anyone where the shard was, and no one who wants the shard will believe me if I claim that you don't have it. Even if they did, they'll come after you anyway because they know I won't abandon you."

Chloe stopped chewing her lip. "You wouldn't?" She'd never quite thought of Carmen as a friend, but perhaps Carmen-

"I brought you into this and I will bring you through it; can't leave my assets hanging. As simple as that. Small matter of honor and the like."

Chloe's face fell a little. So it wasn't that Carmen cared about her at all. She just had a reputation to protect.

Kurama saw the face fall and hurried to reassure her. "Don't worry Miss Scott, I'll be with you every step of the way. I'll see you through." He caught her eye, giving her a small, warm smile.

She blushed and turned away, facing out to the ocean. "What do I do?" Her voice was small, defeated.

Carmen smiled triumphantly. "You don't really have to do anything except hang on to the shard and stick with Shuiichi or myself at all times, and I do mean at all times. Today should have been a good enough lesson for you on that subject. Speaking of which, I have business to attend to. Enjoy the rest of your," she looked at the two of them, then finished with a shrug "whatever you were doing." She strolled away, disappearing on the other side of the rocks.

Kurama allowed silence to fall for a moment as he collected his thoughts and tried to sense how Chloe was feeling. "We should return home to change clothes." He pointed out, draining a little more water out of his hair.

Chloe nodded, pulling his jacket closer around her shoulders. "I am pretty cold." She admitted, following him as he collected the rest of their things and headed home. "Thank you...by the way." She looked at him for a moment before quickly averting her eyes.

"What for?" He looked at her curiously.

"For saving my life." She met his gaze again, smiling gratefully.

Kurama simply smiled and replied "You're welcome", but inside was a different story. Saving a life was nothing out of the ordinary for him; he was going to have to remember that he was not with Yusuke and Kuwabara anymore. She was an ordinary human with knowledge, no special skills. Near death experiences was a very new experience for her.

"Is this what I should expect from now on?"

He looked at her, blinking a few times. His mind had been wandering. "Pardon?"

"Near death experiences. Is this what I should expect?" She asked calmly.

Kurama's lip quirked a little. She may be an ordinary human, but she wasn't entirely an ordinary girl. "I wish I could say no, but even I'm not entirely sure how everything is going to play out from now on. Put simply, expect anything."

She nodded. "I see. It doesn't phase you, does it?"

"What doesn't phase me?"

"Nearly dying, demons, everything. None of it phases you anymore, does it?"

The red-head had to fight a wry smile. He'd grown up on it, so no, it had never phased him. "It was a very normal occurrence in my life for a long time." He said instead, not lying, but leaving it vague enough to eleborate on later...if it came to that.

The walk was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Kurama walked Chloe to her door. "I'll be back as soon as I've changed, all right?"

She started to nod, then shook her head. "I'll come to you after I dry off. No one but me when my parents are gone, remember?" She pulled out her keys and stuck them in the lock. Her eyes widened when she turned them - the door was unlocked? "I'm sure I locked it." She swallowed, pulling out her keys and grabbing the knob.

"Let me." Kurama put his hand over her's, opening the door cautiously. He took a deep breath of air; he didn't sense anything unusual. No demonic presence, at the very least. Kurama stepped inside, treading lightly. He came around the corner, coming face-to-face with a pair of familiar brown eyes.

The eyes widened and the mouth exclaimed "Who the hell are you?" as the young man tripped backwards.

Kurama took a step forward, noting the use of English and switching into that mode. "I might-"

"Ethan?" Chloe put a hand on Kurama's shoulder, straring, her face white as a sheet.

The young man looked at her, staring as hard as she was. "Chloe? My gosh, look how much you've changed!"

Kurama looked to Chloe, unsure of how to proceed. The similarities between the two were shocking. They almost looked like- "You're the brother." He stated.

The brown-eyed young man, recovered himself, nodding and smiling. "Yeah, name's Ethan. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out.

Kurama nodded and shook it. "My name is Shuiichi. I live next door. Nice to meet you." Both men looked to Chloe, who was still in shock.

"Chloe?" Ethan stepped forward, crouching so he was at eye level with her. "Don't I even get a hello?"

Kurama felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle slightly, inexplicably, but he said nothing.

Chloe blinked back tears. "You- .. How-...You're alive?" She choked out finally.

Ethan nodded, his shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes. "Very much so."

One second she was staring, the next her eyes closed and she crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.

"Chloe!" Ethan reached to help her, but Kurama was faster and was already turning her over. "Get some water please." He pulled some hair out of her face, placing a hand to her forhead. She didn't seem to have a fever, although her near drowning less than an hour ago certainly hadn't done anything beneficial for her health. This could be shock, after effects from the water and cold, or both.

Ethan brought a glass of water, kneeling down beside her.

Kurama sprinkling a little water on her and slapped her cheeks gently. "Miss Scott?" He kept on hand under her head as padding, using the other to wake her.

Her eyelids fluttered open after a minute.

"Chloe?" Ethan squeezed her hand. "How do you feel?"

Chloe swallowed, looking between the two men huddling over her.

"Did you hit your head?" Kurama asked.

Chloe shook her head. "I feel fine." She sat up, taking the offered water and drinking a little.

"You need to take a hot shower and get into some dry clothes." Kurama helped her stand, keeping his hands close by her in case she started to fall again.

Chloe nodded. "Okay." She handed him the water, glancing up at Ethan again as she walked past him towards her bedroom.

Kurama excused himself, his mind full as he walked back to his own house. How had Ethan survived whatever had attacked him? Perhaps he hadn't even been in the car. But had he stayed away for so long without contacting anyone? It didn't make any sense. And Chloe's reaction had been surprising. With her tone he'd been expecting her to be overjoyed, not faint. Then again, she was still coming down off of her shock over the new information she'd received just an hour ago. He shook his head. Too many questions, not enough answers.

* * *

_Chloe's Point of View_

I dried my hair slowly with a towel, my eyes staring into nothing. I didn't see the carpet that was right before my eyes. Ethan was home. My dear, beloved brother had finally come back. I'd been hoping and praying for this day ever since that first weekend he forgot to call me. Shouldn't I be happier? I didn't really feel anything, and that was the unnerving part right now. I looked up at my reflection in the mirror across the room, a little shocked by what I saw there. My face looked perfectly calm, no sign of any large emotions. But my eyes... they looked so different, so strange. I felt like I was looking into the eyes of a stranger.

"A stranger..." I murmured to myself, biting my lip as a pair of intense orange eyes appeared in my mind. Did he have something to do with all of this? Was that why Shuiichi had been so cautious and protective about him? Was he a demon? I swallowed hard, feeling a deep settled fear in the pit of my stomach. If Carmen could appear to be human, there was no end to who could be a demon. Even Haru could-

I stopped mid-thought as my phone lit up and started buzzing. I picked it up, a sense of ease washing over me. "Haru!" I flipped the phone open with a relieved smile.

"Chlo? Are you at your house? I came back early from Egypt. I'll come pick you up, okay?"

I smiled at his eagerness, my smile fading a little as I remembered that Shuiichi was waiting for me. "Actually I already made plans to go over to Shuiichi's." I said hesitantly. I could almost see his disappointment so I hurried to continue "Please come over anyway. I need to seee you." I tried not to beg, but I wasn't so sure that my tone hadn't sounded that way.

There was a moment of silence before he caved. "Okay, okay, if you're sure I'm not intruding." He said teasingly.

I felt my cheeks flush. "Not funny Haru!"

He laughed. "So funny. I'll see you in a minute."

I hung up the phone, holding it to my chest. Haru would help me make sense of everything. He was always there for me. I hopped up and pulled on socks, standing in front of the mirror as I tussed at my wet hair. I bit my lip, looking over at the door; my brother was still out there waiting for me.

_Third Person Point of View_

Haru hopped out of the car and strode up to the front door. There was no car, so she should be home alone. "Chlo?" He called as he opened the front door. He shut the door and walked in, stopping abruptly when he saw someone sitting in the living room, their head in their hands. "Who are you?" He asked, not wanting to sound too demanding, but still curious about who this stranger was.

The man lifted his head, rising to his feet. "Who are you?" He countered. "Why are you looking for Chloe?"

Haru faced the man directly, sizing him up. Something about him seemed very familiar... he took a step back suddenly, eyes widening. "You're Ethan." He stated, utterly shocked. Chloe'd told him about her brother before, but it had always seemed as if he was dead.

The brown-haired man nodded. "You must be Haru." He returned.

Haru nearly jumped when Chloe touched his arm. She looked between the two. "I see you've met."

Both guys nodded.

"There's food in the fridge if you're hungry. Haru and I were just going to Shuiichi's. I'll be next door if you need me." She pulled Haru out the front door with her as she walked quickly towards Shuiichi's.

"Heeey." Haru pulled her to a stop, taking her arm and turning her towards himself. "What happened back there? How is that your brother? I thought he was dead."

Chloe blinked quickly, glancing at Haru then letting her gaze dart around nervously. "I-I don't know. He just..he just showed up."

Haru pulled her to himself, resting his chin on her head and wrapping his arms around her. She was very upset, he could tell. "Take a minute, let yourself breathe, then try and tell me what all has happened.

Chloe felt her lower lip tremble a little and she gripped the back of Haru's shirt. She'd nearly died early, reality had been completely shaken, and then she came home to find the brother they'd all thought dead cheerfully raiding the kitchen. How the hell was she supposed to deal with that much emotional trauma in one day? "I thought he was dead.." Her voice quivered, but she struggled hard not to cry. If she let the dam break now, the flood waters would come.

"You always seemed so sure he was alive."

"I was trying to convince myself more than anyone else." She swallowed hard, feeling the first few tears spill down her cheeks.

"Let's get you into Shuiichi's." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he walked her up to Shuiichi's door.

Shuiichi opened it before they could even knock. "What happened?" He asked upon seeing Chloe's teary eyes.

"That's what I'm finding out." Haru walked in when Shuiichi gestured for them to enter. He took her to the couch and sat down with her.

Shuiichi sat on her other side, not sure how he felt about having unecessary people in their business – namely Haru. But Chloe wanted him there, and this would go best if she were kept content.

"Alright Chloe, start at the beginning. What's bothering you?"

Chloe took a shaky breath and looked between the two of them before fixing her eyes on her hands. "Mom and Dad decided to go on a trip without me. I found the note when I got up. Not having many free days I decided to go to the beach. While I was on my way..."

Haru listened attentively to every word she said, his jaw clenching and tightening when she came to the part where she'd almost died. But he said nothing, just listened and held her.

Kurama grew more and more uncomfortable as she shared _everything_ about the day with Haru. His sharp eyes caught the look Haru threw at him momentarily when she came to the demons and demon world part. But he remained stilent.

"I thought Ethan was dead. I really did. So did all my family. Then today to just walk into the house and...and see him just...just standing there...as if nothing had happened..." She shook her head in disbelief.

Haru squeezed her gently. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for his actions." He said reassuringly. His eyes looked up at Kurama, almost accusingly. "As reasonable as anything can be expected to be right now."

Kurama stood. "I'll get some tea."

Haru followed him first with his eyes, then physically. "I'll be right back." Once in the kitchen he stepped real close to Kurama. "Listen to me Shuiichi, I'm going to make myself real clear. I don't know what part you're playing here, but I'll be straight – I don't like anything that's happening here. I don't like how Chloe's involved, and I'm happy with the likes of you and Carmen toying with her life like this. Anything happens to her – _anything_ – and I don't care how many worlds there are, I will make you regret it."

"You seem to already have an amount of knowledge about all of this." Kurama looked at him.

Haru tapped his fingers on the counter. "Japan isn't the only place that has touch with the abnormal."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked as she walked beside Kurama. It had been three days since the incident at the beach. She'd been in the constant company of either Shuiichi or Haru, whether awake or sleeping, ever since.

"Carmen asked us to meet her; she has new information for us."

Chloe felt an unease in her stomach. "Information about that...tournament?"

Shuiichi knew she didn't like the idea of this bloodshed, but he couldn't reassure her in any way. It needed to happen, and the sooner the better. "She didn't say, but quite probably. Now Miss Scott, she has asked us to meet her at a club that's just around this corner – stay close to me when we go inside."

Chloe cringed at the idea of going into a noisy club, but she didn't really have a choice. She moved closer to Shuiichi anyway, steeling herself for the upcoming hour or more.

The noise assaulted them before they'd even made it around the wet street corner. Kurama knew this was going to hurt once they'd made it inside; his ears were sensitive. They stepped around the line and up to the front.

"Name?" The guy with the list yelled over the music, his eyes darting to Shuiichi's red hair.

"Shuiichi."

"You're good to go. She's expecting you." He unclipped the rail and motioned for them to go in.

Chloe followed close behind Kurama, blinking at all the strange lights, none of which did a half-way decent job of providing any sort of actual light. The entire place was one dim, foggy scene. "Can you see her?"

Kurama took her arm and pulled her up next to him before leaning his lips down to her ear. "I'm sorry, it's too loud. What did you say?" He turned his head, obviously expecting her to do the same.

Chloe's heart pounded in her chest, still in shock of the feel of his breath on her ear and in anticipation of leaning up and-

"Shuiichi!"

The red head jerked, his acute hearing managing to pick out his own name now. He looked towards the bar, his breath catching in his throat when he caught sight of their target. Carmen stood there, a drink in hand, draped in an alluring forest green dress. He pulled Chloe with him, regaining control of his senses once again. This was Carmen, after all.

Chloe hadn't missed the look on his face or the hitch in his breathing when he caught sight of Carmen. When she finally saw their comrade she could hardly blame him, but still … a feeling, deep in the pit of her stomach, one she couldn't explain.

Carmen handed each of them a glass. "I'd begun to think you two were going to stand me up." She teased, her voice somehow carrying over the din. "I've got a table waiting for us. Follow me." She led the way through the heart of the dancing crowd, obviously expecting them to follow. She led them up a few stairs into a sitting area, taking the one empty table out of the many crowded ones. "I like to be prepared." She sat down gracefully in one of the chair and set down her glass.

Chloe took the chair Kurama offered her, looking intently down at her drink and trying hard not to bite her lip. Her eyes glanced around at all the people around them. "How can we possibly talk here?" She blurted, sinking her teeth into her lower lip.

Carmen laughed, taking a drink from her glass. "Going someplace private appears too suspicious, and anything someone overhears they will take very seriously. No one will be listening to us here, and anything they overhear, well, we're in a club – who would take them seriously?"

Kurama caught Chloe's eye and nodded his agreement. "This is a wise choice."

Chloe looked between the two, smiling bashfully. "Oh...I see."

"Down to business." Carmen motioned for another drink from a nearby waiter. "The time and date is all set. I have combatants lined up, a judge, lower lifes for hauling the bodies, and will be receiving the remaining pieces shortly. Have you talked to Koenma yet? Has he agreed to keep all his minions away from the plains for the duration of the tournament?"

Kurama leaned back in his chair calmly. "He has, grudgingly. As long as no humans get hurt he won't step in."

Carmen looked pleased. "Excellent, everything is falling into place accordingly."

"Does this mean I'm safe now?" Chloe shouted, curious as to why her voice didn't seem to project as well as the other two's.

"Hardly." Carmen responded quickly. "Safer, but not safe by a long shot. Only the honorable demons will keep from coming after you. The lower levels may still try to get the shard from you."

Chloe sighed resignedly. "Of course."

"Don't worry." Kurama leaned forward. "The moment it's safe I'll make sure you are returned to your life at home."

Chloe tried to smile, although she could barely muster one. Her eyes fell and she looked out over the dancing crowd. "I need to use the restroom." She stood and left without waiting for a response.

Carmen watched her leave, then looked to Kurama. "What are you going do about her when this is all over?" She asked, sipping at her drink while eyeing him pointedly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?"

"It's one thing for me to take an asset, make them think we're friends, whatever. But you," she chuckled as if at some private joke. "But you don't do that. You become fond of them, risk your life for them, and when it's all over, you have to deal with the consequences." Her eyes took on a strange look. "In some ways you've come so far from the old Yoko Kurama, and in others…" She didn't finish the sentence, just looked at him with blue eyes that seemed shielded, protected from any harm coming her way.

"Are you wearing contacts?" Kurama asked, not sure what to make of her comments, but deciding to leave it be for now.

Carmen nodded as she stood. "Golden eyes tend to draw more attention than I care for in the Human World." She smiled, picking up her glass. "I'm going to go check on our project." She moved expertly through the crowd of people. "Chloe?" She called as she pushed open the door to the ladies' room. A few women looked up, but none of them were the girl. "Chloe?" She called again, peering into the powder room portion. "Damn." She dropped her glass in the trash and strode out the room, moving through the crowd just as fast, but sending off such an aura as to cause the people to move out of her way. She grabbed the front of Kurama's shirt and pulled him up, whispering "Go with it" before pressing her lips to his. She felt him tense, but at least he didn't pull away.

She pulled back, a coy smile on her face. "Come. I know a private room upstairs." She took his hand and drew him through the crowd to a back stairs. The man standing there caught her eye, a smirk gracing his lips as she approached. "Have a good time."

"We intend to." She moved up the stairs lightening quick, only dropping the red head's hand when the entered a bedroom.

"Mind explaining what's going on?" Kurama asked, his tone indicating he was clearly not in a playing mood.

"Chloe's been kidnapped." Carmen stated it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She pushed open the window, leaning out and closing her eyes as she took in a deep breath.

"Demon?"

"Who else?" Carmen took another breath. "There. I've got her." She kicked off her shoes and leapt from the window, disappearing into the night.

Chloe stirred, blinking her eyes open slowly. She groaned; even the dim light around her was causing her head to hurt like a…well, suffice to say it hurt a lot. She moved a hand up to her forehead; every muscle in her body ached.

"Hey, girl, are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open and she turned her head. She could see a man sitting against the nearby wall. He seemed like he must be taller when he stood, at least six feet tall. "Who-who are you?" Her throat was dry and felt like it was burning; her tongue felt thick and heavy.

"Name's Kuwabara. Wish I didn't have the honor of meeting you."

Chloe forced herself to sit up, closing her eyes to fight the dizzy spell threatening to take her down again. "Why is that?" She opened her eyes, rubbing at her neck.

"Because – now you're trapped down here with me."

Chloe felt tears welling up in her eyes, although she tried hard to keep them from spilling over. "Where is…here, exactly?" Her voice quivered.

Kuwabara shook his head. "I have no idea. One minute I'm home, the next…" He motioned to her and shrugged. "They won't tell me what they want, they just make sure I don't make it out when I try. And believe me, I've tried."

Chloe swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. "How long have you been here?" She asked.

Kuwabara looked at the wall, motioning to the marks. "There's one mark for each day."

She looked over, unable to suppress a small sob when she saw how many marks there were on the wall. "I'll never get out of here." She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

Kuwabara hurried to his feet and limped over to her, nearly falling down at the exertion. "Ah, don't cry." He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "My friends will come for me and we'll be saved." His eyes strayed to the wall. He had to keep believing that they would come rescue him – eventually.


	7. Doubt

A/N: I know this chapter is somewhat shorter than I normally aim for, but I'm glad I'm getting it out. Hope you like it!

* * *

"Wait." Kurama leapt into Carmen's path, arms out.

She drew to a halt, cocking her head. "What is it?"

"How are you planning to cross the border between the worlds? There are extra patrols, extra security, and the barrier is even stronger than it was when I was…active."

Carmen sighed. "There's no such thing as an impenetrable barrier. How do you think I got here in the first place? It's been a while since you were ever truly 'active', Yoko Kurama." She pushed past him, completely focused on the problem at hand.

He closed his eyes, her words stabbing a knot of unease in his stomach. It was true, it had been a while since he'd been anything more than a rumor. Was he still as powerful as before? His eyes followed Carmen, unable to keep his mind from wondering if he would be able to defeat her…if the need should arise.

* * *

"You hung out with Shuiichi a lot in high school, didn't you?" Chloe asked as she leaned back against the wall beside Kuwabara.

He sat up, looking at her in amazement. "Yeah…how do you know him?"

Chloe looked intently at her hands. "He's my neighbor. Has been since forever, so we sorta grew up together."

"Funny. I don't remember ever seeing you around."

Chloe felt a twinge in her heart. "Well, we grew up together, but we've never really been…close, exactly."

"Aah." Kuwabara took a closer look at her now. He knew why Kurama had never attempted to get close to the girl – the _human_ girl. His life had been dangerous enough as it was. "He's sorta…one-track minded, if ya know what I mean." He said lightly, unsure how much she knew about anything..paranormal.

"Yeah I guess." Silence fell between the two of them for a moment, then Chloe broke it again. "You helped him fight a lot of demons, didn't you?"

Kuwabara nearly choked on his spit. "Demons?" He choked out.

Chloe nodded. "One of them has captured us, haven't they?"

Kuwabara was still in shock at her straightforward question. "Uh..uh.. sure, we took down our share of the nasty ones. I honestly don't know exactly who's got us, but they're demon, or at least employ demons."

"Employ demons? Meaning we could be being held hostage by a human?" She seemed genuinely shocked by that revelation.

"Yup. We've met a few humans who were powerful enough to get demons to work for them. Mind you they never turn out to be gentleman, so they're just as bad, just easier to get rid of."

"How many humans know about the demon world?"

Kuwabara sighed, trying to run a hand through his tangled hair. "Who knows. It seems like aware people just keep popping up everywhere." He looked at her pointedly, his tone teasing.

She smiled a little, refusing to meet his gaze. "I know some stuff…but now that I know, I think I'd rather not know. Know what I mean?"

The carrot-top felt pity for this girl. He wasn't sure how she was tangled up in this web, but he wished with all his heart that she came out of it safely.

They both looked up as they heard footsteps. The door opened and a man walked in. He was attired simply, but elegantly, in blue and grey with a cloak sweeping behind him. He walked towards the pair. "Get up." He pulled Chloe to her feet roughly.

"Hey!" Kuwabara leapt to his feet, his chivalrous heart spurring him to action.

The man dodged and slammed his fist into the red-head's face, sending him crashing into the wall.

"Kuwabara!" Chloe exclaimed, pulling against her captor's grasp.

"Leave him." He said roughly, pulling her out of the holding. Once the wall shut again he let go of her arm. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

Chloe stared at him, not sure if her was serious. "P-pardon?" She swallowed hard.

The man glanced around quickly. "I just had to put on a show. Here, put this on." He held out a cloak, similar to his own, but deep blue.

She looked at it, but made no move to take it. "I-I don't understand….what's going on?" She asked fearfully. "Are you going to kill me?"

He shook his head pityingly. "No, I'm helping you escape. I've arranged a window, but it's a small one, so we need to hurry. Please put the cloak on – it will disguise your true heritage from even the most powerful of demons."

She stared at him, not sure whether or not to believe him. "What about Kuwabara? I can't leave him here."

"You don't have a choice. Hurry!" He threw the cloak around her shoulders and propelled her down the dark hallway with his arm.

She managed one last look over her shoulder, fear for Kuwabara's fate rivaled only by her fear for her own.

Kurama stirred, at first seeing a pale red sky. "Makai?" He wondered aloud, sitting up suddenly, eyes darting around. Carmen sat on a stone on the opposite side of the fire, her golden eyes staring intently into the flames. "What the hell did you to me?" He growled furiously.

She looked up at him. "I didn't want you to know how I crossed the border." She said matter-of-factly.

"How did you put me to sleep?" He probed, not going to let it slip. How had he missed that?

"You know you're heavier than you look." She stretched, giggling a little. "That and you're taller than me, so it's not that easy to carry you."

Kurama did not look amused. "Answer my question. Now."

"Or you'll what? Kill me?" She stood, turning her back for one second.

He leapt across the fire, his hand aimed for her throat.

Quicker than he she threw him to the ground, a dagger cutting through the first few layers of skin on his neck. "Do not attempt to threaten me." She hissed, her face alight with a fury that couldn't be explained by his pushing for answers. "And do not _**ever**_ attempt what you just did on me again, understand? You need me, but don't make the mistake of thinking that I in any way need you or Chloe." She got off him and returned to the fire, throwing the knife point-down into the dirt at her feet.

Chloe stared back at the cliff wall she had just walked out of, swallowing hard. Whatever entrance she had come out of was now hidden. Her captor and apparent savior had just pushed her out the 'door', not bothering to explain anything more to her than just to not take the cape off. She pulled the material closer around herself, turning and looking forward - a forbidding forest where the shrubs grew high and the trees nestled close to each other. She bit her lip and walked forward, gripping the cloak's soft material in her hands for courage.

* * *

Kurama followed Carmen down the hallway, although something was off. The feeling he was getting from around the next bend…that aura…it was very familiar…

"Kurama?"

"Yusuke?"

The two friends stared at each other from across the hallway, almost speechless. Kurama was the first to close the distance, a certain warmth entering his tone when he saw his old friend. "How are you? Might I enquire what you're doing here of all places?"

Yusuke swallowed before answering. "We're uh, we're rescuing Kuwabara." He smiled sheepishly, almost apologetically.

Hiei and Carmen looked at each other, mistrust and hostility emanating from every bone in Hiei's body towards her.

Kurama looked past Yusuke's shoulder, his eyes managing to catch Hiei's red orbs. "Kuwabara? He's here?"

Hiei finally took his eyes off Carmen, but he didn't have the decency to look uncomfortable at what Kurama was asking. "We finally tracked his captor down and came to get him."

"Why didn't you call me, tell me what was going on?" Kurama couldn't keep the frustration and hurt out of his voice.

Yusuke scuffed his shoe on the floor. "I tried a few times, but you've been too busy for your old friends for a while."

"We don't have time for this now. He's been here for months, there's no telling what they've done to him."

"Chloe is here as well." Carmen pushed past them all, expecting them all to follow. A few turns later she stopped in front of a door. There was no lighting, and no guards to be seen. There didn't seem to be any sort of security on this place at all. She felt uneasy, but then again she'd always preferred walking straight into a trap as opposed to avoiding them. "It's locked." She jiggled the lock. She felt a slight breeze and her eyes turned over her shoulder. Hiei didn't appear to have moved, yet the lock now fell to pieces in her hand. "Huh." She pushed open the door, stepping inside cautiously.

Chloe leaned back against a tree, the hood pulled over her head to protect from the pelting rain. She shivered in the cloak, wishing desperately for a warm bed and dry clothes. She hadn't seen a single living being since she left the cave entrance, much less a building of any sort. The tree did little to protect her from the elements – if anything they seemed to move out of the way so the most raindrops could hit her.

"What have you gotten yourself into Chloe?" She spoke to herself, bouncing in place to try and warm herself up a little. "It all started with your stupid obsession with Shuiichi. If you hadn't talked to him, maybe you wouldn't be in this mess. You could be sitting at home hanging out with Haru in his limo, drinking soda, warm, safe…" She felt her eyes fill up with tears and her lower lip quivered. "I just wanna go home…." Her head sank on to her knees, then jerked up. "But..Kuwabara! He's stuck back in that dark hole, abused, alone, and…no hope really of his friends coming for him." She rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hands, forcing her numbs legs to lift her up again as she found a renewed strength.

"I can't do anything for him, but at least he won't be alone anymore."

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke jumped forward and crouched in front of the carrot top. "Hey man, wake up!" He slapped his friend's cheeks. "Come on, wake up!"

Kuwabara stirred, his eyes opening wearily. "Urameshi?"

"Yeah man, it's me."

Kuwabara shook off his sleepy state, sitting himself up. "Who's with you?"

"It's us, fool. Who else would it be?"

"Hiei, normally I'd want to kill you for that, but right now I'm just too happy to see you all to care." Kuwabara got up with the help of Yusuke, limping beside him to the group. "Who's she?" He stopped short when he saw Carmen.

"She is unimportant."

They all stopped when they heard the distinctly feminine voice fill the air. All eyes turned towards the sound of footsteps from the one hidden part of the room – save for one pair of emerald green eyes.

A lady stepped around the corner, a triumphant smile gracing her exquisite lips. She was barefoot and dressed in a long blue dress with a slit up to her thigh. Her black hair hung loose around her shoulders, framing her olive face and accenting her blue eyes. "Hello...Kurama."

Carmen looked to Kurama. "You know this broad?"

Kurama finally looked up and met her gaze. "Mayuri."

Hiei's eyes shifted between the two. Kurama had mentioned the name to him a few times in connection with his past. "What do you want?" He demanded, facing her directly. She may have business with Kurama, but as she was delaying them all leaving, she'd now directed it at all of them.

Her blue eyes moved to Hiei. "You must be Hiei."

"It's none of your business who I am. What do you want?" He snapped, ready to fight her if it came to that.

"Screw that. Let us go and we'll let you live." Carmen growled, dropping down ever so slightly to change her center of gravity.

Mayuri turned her attention back on Kurama. "What interesting friends you've chosen since you've been in the filthy human realm."

"Hey!" Yusuke spoke up. "Don't diss our-"

"Hush, human, you should learn your place. You may have Raizen's blood in you, you may be his heir, but frankly that doesn't make you one of us. You are still only partially demon."

Yusuke would have leapt at her, but Kurama laid a hand on his arm. "Don't. You can't take her on head on."

Hiei glared at Kurama. "You seem to have lost faith in us." He disappeared, and suddenly Mayuri disappeared as well. In a split second the others heard a blood curdling scream followed by Hiei crashing to the floor in front of them, his sword falling beside him.

"Hiei!" Yusuke set down Kuwabara and rushed to Hiei, shaking his shoulder.

Kurama looked up to find Mayuri standing before them once again. "You really should have chosen stronger companions Kurama, they might have stood a chance."

"You're really annoying me." Carmen sprang and leapt, fangs bared, eyes flaming.

"Fool." Mayuri's blue eyes flicked over to Carmen's, dropping the girl in an instant with a scream of agony. Carmen fell like Hiei, eyelids closed.

Kurama was at her side in an instant, fingers digging into her neck, his eyes on her neck, not meeting her gaze. "If you thought you were going to lure me here and kill me, think again." His voice had dropped, and there was a golden hint in his eyes. Her hands moved to push him away but he batted her hands and dug his fingers deeper into her throat, causing her gasp for air. "You may think I've disappeared or lost my abilities, but believe me – I am still here and I can still tear the life from your body."

Mayuri tried to laugh, although it was a gurgle. "You…were never able to carry through when you…were yourself…now you're frail….and weak….you can't…beat me." Her hands came up on both sides of his arm, breaking it at the elbow.

Kurama yelled and swung at her with his other arm, but she was too quick and had already moved away. He kept his broken arm close to his side, his face still calm. "It'll take more than a little broken bone to defeat me." His tone was serene and cold. "I know all your tricks – you will lose."

"So you-Gyah!" She screamed as a burst of light skimmed her side. She pressed her hands to the painful wound, looking at where it had come from. Yusuke, still kneeling by Hiei, his hands aimed towards her like a gun. She caught his smug eyes. "You filthy son of a-" The rest of her words were cut off by him letting out a scream of agony.

Mayuri laughed and approached him. "I went easier on you then your friends, but only so it lasts longer." She reached down to tilt his chin up, freezing when she saw her arm fall to the ground. She took in a breath of air sharply, turning her gaze on Kurama. A vine wrapped around her body, thorns sharper than razors biting into her skin. A small whimper of pain escaped her lips, despite her best efforts to bite it back.

Kurama stood directly in front of her, his good hand holding the end of his rose whip. "You've disappointed me, Mayuri. You seem to have grown much weaker since the last time we fought. Now, tell me, so I think twice about killing you, where is the girl? I can smell that she was here, so don't bother lying to me."

Mayuri winced at the pain, her eyes looking down at the floor. "He let her go. Some sort of deal was made for her. You were coming, I didn't care what happened to her."

"What sort of deal?" The red-head pressed, the thorns digging brutally into her body.

"He gave her a cloak to hide her humanness and sent her away."

"With who?"

"By herself."

"If anything has happened to her-" He stepped forward menacingly, looming over her.

Her head snapped up and her blue eyes captured his gaze. He realized his mistake, but too late. Engulfing, fiery hot pain overwhelmed all his senses and he cried out as he fell to the ground. He didn't pass out, however, the pain was just enough to paralyze him and take all his thoughts.

Mayuri stepped out of his vine, bending down to him. "Like I said, you've become weak in the time you've spent in the human realm. Don't worry, you won't suffer long, I won't be ke-…" A strange look crossed her face and she looked down at her stomach, where a golden sword was poking out of.

"I don't like killing women." Kuwabara gritted his teeth and tore the sword straight up through her body, almost cutting her entirely in half. "But I won't let you kill my friends." His spirit sword dissipated and his arm dropped to his side wearily.

Kurama met Mayuri's eyes one last time. He heard her voice in his mind, faintly. _'I knew you'd find a way to kill me. Too bad for you I am not the real Mayuri._' He felt the pain fade and stood up, looking down at her lifeless body. She wasn't the real Mayuri? He couldn't explain how that was possible, but stranger things had happened. He pushed it to the back of his mind, turning his thoughts on matters at hand. "You saved my life Kuwabara." His tone was sincere and he looked at his friend. "Thank you." He held his broken arm to his side, wondering how he could have been so careless.

Yusuke, Hiei, and Carmen all stirred and sat up in unison.

"Where is she?" Yusuke staggered to his feet, ready to fight.

"She's dead, genius." Hiei snapped, returning to his feet.

Carmen looked at Mayuri's body. "Nicely done Kurama."

Kurama shook his head. "I didn't kill her. Kuwabara did."

All eyes turned on him.

Yusuke busted up laughing. "Here we came to rescue you man, and you end up saving us! Hahaha!" He punched Kuwabara's shoulder good-naturedly.

Carmen eyebrows rose. "Well, I guess even I can be wrong." She chuckled.

* * *

Chloe leaned against a tree, shivering. She was really lost now. She wasn't even sure she'd come the same way she'd gone. "I'm..not cut out for this." She sighed.

-snap-

She froze, eyes wide, heart pounding. 'No. No, no, no, no, no…..' She turned around so her back was to the tree, eyes darting around.

"Chloe?"

She nearly wept when she recognized the voice. "Haru!" He ran over and wrapped his arms around her shaking frame. "How did you find me?" She curled against his warmth, a feeling of security spreading through her body.

"That's not important. Are you hurt?" He pulled her back, his eyes scanning her.

She shook her head. "I'm fine, Haru."

"I mean it Chlo. Did you cut yourself on anything?" His face was so serious she stopped smiling.

"Just scratches from some of foliage; what's wrong?"

He put his arm around her. "We need to hurry."

* * *

"How are we going to get out?" Yusuke was the first to ask the obvious question; he looked at Kurama, obviously expecting him to have some grand scheme in mind.

"The same way we" he motioned to Carmen and himself "got in. It's quite safe, and seems like they don't patrol that area. But we really should be hurrying along, no telling when-" He stopped when the door swung open.

Carmen was the only who didn't leap into a defensive position. "Don't worry guys. He's a friend."

A demon stood before them clad in blue and grey. "This wasn't exactly what we had discussed, Carmen."

She grinned playfully. "No, but then a child doesn't always color inside the lines." She responded coyly.

"You know him?" Yusuke demanded.

"Yes. He's the one who 'kidnapped' Chloe." Carmen replied nonchalantly, hauling Kuwabara to his feet. "No need for your sword Hiei. He's fine."

"If I don't trust you, why would I trust him?" Hiei responded coolly.

"What do you mean he's the one who kidnapped Chloe? What do you know about all this?" Kurama took her arm tightly, his voice leaving no room for vague or evasive answers.

Carmen sighed. "I arranged for him to take Chloe so she'd be safe."

"Then where is she now?" Hiei pointed out bitingly. "And why did he take Kuwabara?"

"Those two I don't know." Carmen raised an eyebrow at her 'friend'.

"I let her go towards your men and with the cloak, as your note instructed."

Carmen's eyes narrowed. "My what?"

"Your note. You didn't send it with that blonde-haired young man?"

Carmen and Kurama spoke at the same time. "Haru."

Carmen handed Kuwabara off to Yusuke and pulled her ally aside, talking in hushed tones with him. Finally she came away, looking displeased and annoyed. "Don't lollygag. We haven't got all day."

They reached the edge of the forest, and here Carmen turned around. "You can leave us here." She said to Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. "Go back whatever way you came." She turned to go.

"Hold on a minute here." Yusuke piped up. "You guys haven't filled us in on what you guys are up to."

"Some of us don't want to know, detective." Hiei crossed his arms. He was miffed that Kurama hadn't bothered to invite any of them into whatever he'd gotten himself mixed up in, but there was no way he was going to appear to be interested or inclined to help. Truth be told he'd been horrendously bored for the past … while and it would be a welcome break, but he wasn't sure he wanted to help Kurama out now – he'd been too busy for his friends since high school graduation, at least.

"I'm afraid that would be rather complicated to explain." Kurama looked at Hiei, sensing something from him, although he wasn't sure what.

"There's no time for it either. Let's go." She gave Kurama a meaningful look – she didn't want anyone in the know about any of her plans unless she sanctioned them.

Yusuke snorted. "It always is Kurama, it always is." He turned and started walking. Hiei stayed only a brief moment, as if to see that Kurama was serious about turning down their help, then he too walked away.

Kurama watched them leave with a heavy heart. He had some serious fences to mend, he could tell. "We could have used their help." He pointed out to Carmen, feeling a little grouchy himself but masking it underneath his calm demeanor.

"Hah. A demon who wants to skin me alive and take little pieces off me till I die, an emaciated, weak human who's been a captive for a long time, and an ex-spirit detective who should really be turning me into Spirit World – yeah, they're exactly the company I want to be keeping." She came over to him, her eyes on his arm. "What happened to your arm?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Broken."

"Hold still." She placed a foot against his side and pulled the arm straight towards herself.

Kurama felt his whole body convulse, but the pain subsided almost as soon as it had come. He gritted his teeth as he took his arm back.

"You'll live; that's as much as we can do for you right now." She sniffed the air suddenly. "I can smell her!" She cried, bounding away.

Despite the rain they made good time, soon finding their way to a nearby town. Here they both lost the scent. Carmen made a bigger show of her frustration, kicking over a barrel and muttering "damn!".

Kurama instead turned his frustrations towards working out where she could be. "Think like Chloe. She'd be frightened and confused, probably wet and cold. She'd be too afraid to chance anyplace with too much of a crowd…" His keen eyes swept over the brightly lit 'club' from whence there came loud music, breaking glass, and uproarious laughter, knowing she'd probably die of shame before setting foot in there. Suddenly his green eyes lit upon bleach-blonde hair. "Hey!" He was half-way down the street before Carmen even realized he'd moved.

Haru took one look at the flying red-head and bolted, his scarf flying out behind him as he dashed madly down the street. He grabbed a barrel's edge and swung himself on a ninety-degree arc, shooting himself down an alley.

Kurama was hardly steps behind him. With one large leap he caught up and grabbed the fleeing Haru's shoulders with his good arm and shoved him into the nearest wall.

"Ow!" Haru rammed face-first into the wall. "Watch it!" He spun around, panting.

"Where is she?" Kurama towered over him.

"Where's who?" Haru returned, one hand on his heaving chest.

"Where's Chloe? And don't tell me you don't know, because I know you do and I'll grow a plant right here and now that will eat you if you so much as twitch."

Haru looked up at him, for the first time getting a glimpse of his terrifying self. "Look, Shuiichi, she's safe, okay?" He straightened up a little, his face flushed red.

Carmen arrived at this point, stopping gracefully in front of him. "Geez Shuiichi, what did you do to the boy?" She exclaimed with a twinkle in her eye.

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "I haven't touched him, although I'm rather tempted to, despite the fact that he's Chloe's best friend."

Haru looked between the two, knowing when he was good and caught. "Look, no offense, but I'm not sure I trust either of you." He held up his hands, being completely honest.

Carmen flicked her gaze to him. "You don't really have a choice. You can tell us, or Shuiichi's friend can come and read the information right out of your mind. So what will it be? And trust me, I wouldn't wanna make this guy angry." She patted Kurama's cheek with her palm.

He barely spared her a glance, but ignored the gesture for the moment – Chloe was more important right now.

Haru sighed. "I forgot you knew Hiei." He grumbled, rubbing at his eyes a few times. "All right, come on, I'll take you to her." He trudged back down the alley and to the street, returning to his original path. He took them to the back door of the bar, taking them in and up the back stairs. Down a long hallway of doors to the very end he went before stopping at one in particular. He knocked four times in a rhythm before opening it. "Satisfied?" He stepped aside.

Kurama's eyes went wide when he saw who was by the bed. "Ethan?"


	8. Uneasy Feelings

Ethan looked towards the door, putting a finger to his lips hastily with his free hand – his other hand was being held by one hand of the sleeping Chloe on the bed. His eyes flitted to Haru. "What are they doing here?" His voice was commanding, but didn't raise about a whisper.

Haru sighed, blinking a few times. "They took after me on the street." He shrugged, passing a hand over his eyes.

Ethan noticed the action. "Shuiichi, would you mind catching him before he falls?"

Kurama looked at the swaying boy, catching him just as he toppled towards the ground. "What's wrong with him?" The red head asked with a quiet voice.

"I'm fine." Haru wheezed, pushing weakly against his helper.

Ethan looked back down at Chloe for a moment. "She scratched herself up in the forest, didn't realize that Makai plants are ninety-percent harmful to humans. She didn't stand a chance of surviving what with her immune system as weakened as it was. Haru volunteered and we transferred the problem to him; his immune system was still in perfect health, so he should be able to fight it just fine."

"If you'd brought me instead of hiding from us I could have given her the antidote sooner." Kurama propped Haru up in a chair, resting a hand against the boy's forehead.

Haru pushed Kurama's hand away, shuddering weakly. "I'll be fine, really. It just came on so swiftly my immune system is having to play catch up."

"See? He'll be fine." Ethan reached down and brushed some hair out of Chloe's face lovingly. She was still cold, but a good rest and the warm blankets would soon put her to right.

"He needs help." Carmen spoke up, eyes turned on Ethan almost…angrily. "Were you really just going to let him suffer on and hope he survived? Good gods man, there are some plants in that forest that are LETHAL to humans. Were you really unaware of this, or just stupid?" She asked cuttingly. The only reason she was upset was because Haru was Chloe's rock in all the craziness around her. If he died there would be hell to pay, and Chloe just might go off the deep end.

Ethan's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "All intelligence I'd heard of the forest contained reports of harmful plants, but nothing more than mildly harmful to humans." He knew as well as they that Haru was Chloe's best friend.

"I'll be fine, honestly." Haru tried to smile strongly, but instead bent over coughing violently.

Kurama stood, pausing by Carmen's side. "Keep him warm, get him drinking as much water as he can stand – I'll be back." He disappeared out the door.

Carmen walked over to the bed and ripped a blanket off it. Noting Ethan's look of protest she pointed out coolly "She'd rather lose a little warmth than let her best friend die."

She walked back to Haru, taking his arm and moving him so he was sitting on the floor against the wall – that way he wouldn't have to try and balance on a chair. She wrapped the blanket snugly around him, tilting his chin up so she could look in his eyes. "Hang in there bud." She patted his cheek, standing up. She walked to the tray of food, presumably brought for Chloe, and took the glass and pitcher of water before returning to Haru's side. She knelt down beside him, filling the glass and holding it to his lips. "Drink what you can."

He swallowed it down thirstily, pulling away in a coughing fit. He smiled wanly. "Thanks." He leaned his head back against the wall, slowly nodding off.

"Stay awake." Carmen slapped his cheek firmly, but gently. "You gotta stay awake, especially since we don't know what infected you, er, her."

"Carmen?" Chloe sat up, letting go of Ethan's hand. She blinked rapidly to try and adjust her eyes to the light.

Carmen smirked and waved. "Down here, sleepin' beauty."

Chloe looked visibly relieved to see her, then her eyes widened. "What's the matter with Haru?" She swung her legs over the side of the bed to get up.

"Hold on, he's going to be fine." Ethan reassured her, using an arm to stop her.

Chloe didn't spare him a glance; she shoved his arm out of her way and knelt by Haru. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly as she looked into his flushed face.

"Got on the wrong side of a Makai plant." Haru joked, pulling out a hand and patting one of her's. "Shuiichi'll fix me up real soon here, don't fret."

"But you look so… so ill." She fretted, squeezing his hand. "You look like..well, like I felt when you found me out in the forest." Her eyes widened. "Did I get you sick?" She asked, horrified.

Carmen covered her mouth to stifle a snort. Chloe was so absurdly naïve and…human.

"No, it wasn't your fault." Ethan reassured her. "I transferred your illness to him so you wouldn't-"

"You gave him my illness?" Her brown eyes turned accusingly on her brother. "Why would you do such a thing? I may not like bearing other people's burdens, but I certainly won't stand for you bestowing my burdens on others." She chastised, sitting next to Haru and pulling his head onto her shoulder. "Just rest." She held his hand in her's, squeezing it reassuringly.

Haru gave up and closed his eyes. She wasn't usually so forceful and determined, but then again she'd been through quite a bit recently. Whatever. He took a deep breath, quickly falling further into the depths of unconsciousness.

Kurama returned, a ripple of relief at seeing Chloe awake and looking well. She had Haru's head in her lap now, her hands unconsciously stroking his hair as she stared at the wall. Carmen was sitting at the table with her feet propped on the chair, her golden eye's piercing gaze trained on Ethan, who was still sitting by the bed. There were many questions for Ethan, but right now Haru was more important.

Chloe watched him as he knelt close by, unwrapping the cloth in his hand revealing some herbs. "Wake him up in a few minutes. I just need some hot water." Kurama looked to Carmen. She rolled her eyes. "All right, I'll play maid." She disappeared out the door. Kurama placed a hand on Chloe's forehead. "No sign of fever." He smiled reassuringly. "How do you feel?" She dropped her gaze. "Physically or mentally?" She wondered aloud, smiling wryly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He tried to catch her gaze.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "I feel fine. Haru's the sick one." Her lower lip trembled as he coughed violently, but didn't wake up. "I can't lose him Shuiichi….I can't." Her voice shook. She'd never seen Haru sick for one single day of his life. Now he was so pale, so cold. She couldn't almost imagine she could feel the life slipping right out of him.

"He's not dying, Chloe." Kurama slipped and used her first name, reached out impulsively and placed his hand over hers. "He's going to be just fine."

"Do you promise?" She asked, meeting his gaze finally with her troubled brown eyes.

Kurama felt himself trapped. He would not make a promise about something he had little control over. "I can't promise that. But I can promise I'll try my hardest to keep him here."

She didn't seem much comforted.

Ethan watched the exchange before standing and walking over to the window. "I'm sorry Chlo." He turned his head slightly towards her. "I didn't realize what kind of plants were in that forest. He told me- well, that doesn't matter. I messed up, and I'm sorry."

Kurama could hear the sincerity in her brother's voice. He had a feeling in his gut that made him uneasy, but he couldn't deny the fact that at the moment Ethan didn't seem any more harmless than a normal protective brother.

Chloe looked up, her face easing a little. "It's not your fault, Ethan. He should have been more careful."

Carmen pushed through the door, a mug of steaming water in her hand. "Here. I had to kill three guys to get that, so don't waste it." She handed it to Kurama before returning to her position at the table.

Chloe's eyes widened. "You-you killed for that?"

Carmen snorted. "Don't be so naïve, Chloe. You're never going to survive…" She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Chloe's cheeks burned. She couldn't tell half the time when Carmen was joking because, well, she was just as serious.

Kurama stirred in the leaves, and pretty soon a sweet aroma began drifting through the room. "Wake him up."

Chloe shook Haru's shoulder gently. "Haru? Haru, you have to wake up."

He stirred, one eyelid creeping open tiredly. "Why?" He mumbled, sitting up with her help.

"Drink this." Kurama held the mug to his lips.

"Why?" He asked again, weakly pulling his head away.

Chloe rubbed his arm. "Just trust him. It'll help you feel better."

Haru eyed Kurama suspiciously a moment before bringing a hand up to the mug. He'd drink it, but he'd damn well drink it by himself. He finished it off, coughing because of the horrid aftertaste it left in his mouth. "That better have been worth it." His brow creased as he felt a strange drowsiness creeping over him. "Son of a…" He slumped over, unconscious.

"Haru?" Chloe exclaimed, catching him.

"He's all right." Kurama hefted the boy up and onto the bed. "I gave him something to make him sleep. He'll need it so the poison doesn't spread."

"Poison?" Chloe's eyes widened again as she looked at Haru. "Nobody said-"

"Raw plant poison, Chlo, from that forest you were in. No one's trying to do him in." Ethan assured her, leaning back against the windowsill.

"Oh." Chloe moved to the chair by the bed, turning to face everyone. She could feel the awkward tension in the air, but wasn't sure what to do about it. "How did you guys find me?" She asked finally, looking at Carmen, but not daring to look at Kurama.

Carmen sighed, standing up suddenly. "Ethan, may I talk with you? Alone."

Ethan turned his gaze on her, eyeing her up and down as if sizing her up. "Very well." He followed her out the room, shutting the door with a decided click.

Chloe stood and walked over to the food tray, still not looking at Kurama. She felt a welling in her chest that she was trying hard to stifle. "H-how did you find me?" She bit her lower lip self-consciously, picking at the food half-heartedly.

"We followed your scent. We lost it here in town just before we found Haru, and he guided us here."

"My scent?" She wrinkled her nose. "Well, what else should I expect here." Her shoulders slumped a little and she put the food down. "They were going to take me away from it all." She blurted, not know what was spurring her to speak so openly to him. Her lower lip trembled as she hurried on. "They were going to take me someplace safe until this had all blown over. They were going to give the shard back to you and Carmen – then you'd have no more need to find me."

Kurama turned to her, feeling a storm was breaking and so, unsure how to navigate safely, he asked cautiously. "You wanted that." It was more a statement than a question.

"I don't want to be here!" She burst out, the tears spilling over as well. "I'm not cut out for peril, for dangerous situations. I never wanted to be the hero. I want to go home. I want to be safe again. I don't want to be in constant fear that beings more powerful than me could kill me or torture me at their convenience. I want security again!" She cried, the tears running freely down her cheeks.

Kurama hesitantly reached out. "I know it's intimidating Miss Scott, but-"

"Intimidating?" She whispered, turning her brimming eyes on him. "I'm terrified!" She buried her face in his chest, her hands gripping into his shirt tightly.

He froze as she pressed against him, not sure what to do. Finally he sank down into the chair, pulling her back to look at him. "You're right, this is a horrible situation – a terrifying one from your position. But please believe me when I say that it isn't all that bad, actually. I've been in many worse than yours." He tried to catch her brown eyes to comfort her. "I promise you Miss Scott, I-"

"Chloe."

"Pardon?"

"Don't call me 'Miss Scott'. My name's Chloe."

He looked at her a moment, not sure if he could do that. If he started calling her by her first name, he might begin to grow too attached. But then again, it might help her trust him more. Yes, that was what would happen. That was _all_ that would happen. "Very well, Chloe. I promise that I will defend you even to death."

Her brows furrowed and she shook her head. "No. Don't die for me. I could never live with myself." The last few tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'd rather die than know that you were…" She trailed off, lost in his eyes. Suddenly she realized what she was doing and her cheeks burning, turning a flaming scarlet before she could turn hastily away. "I-I'm sorry." She stuttered, trying to recompose herself.

Kurama swallowed hard. "I should go check on Carmen and your brother." He stood gracefully and moved out of the room.

'He's not even phased.' She thought, a little resentfully. Unrequited love sucked.

Kurama leaned back against the door, taking a few deeps breaths. When she'd looked in his eyes with her dark brown gaze, his heart had fluttered inexplicably. He turned down the hallway, stopping short. Quietly he slipped back in the room, a curious expression on his face. "Have your brother and Carmen ever met?" He asked.

Chloe glanced at him but her cheeks were still burning. "I-I have no idea anymore. She's never spoken of him. Why?"

"No reason." He gazed thoughtfully at the floor, moving over to the bed. "He'll probably sleep for a few more hours yet. You should probably get some more rest as well." He moved Haru closer to the wall, leaving room for Chloe's small frame beside the boy.

Chloe crawled under the covers, facing Haru, and closed her eyes, not daring to look at Kurama.

Shuiichi watched her for a minute before walking over to the window to look out. His green eyes stared into the distance as his mind churned over the latest developments.

"Are they sleeping?" Carmen asked of the figure at the window, pulling her braid over her shoulder and settling down in the chair.

Kurama barely stirred. "Yes."

"Then we're free to discuss what is to be done."

"I assume by discuss you mean you're going to tell me what you have in mind."

"Perhaps." She smiled coyly, sinking down into a chair and crossing her legs. "Her brother wants to take her to Shangri La."

He turned around, looked completely disbelieving. "Shangri La? But that's just a fable – a myth."

"He claims to have been there. Says she'd be safe until it all blew over."

"And you believe him?"

"I don't know she'd be safe anywhere in this," he restrained a few choice words describing Makai "place." He finished lamely. "Not so long as she has the shard."

"And is involved with me?" Carmen arched an eyebrow. "She will not come to harm."

"But can you guarantee that? Completely? Come Carmen, not even I could give that kind of reassurance."

Carmen snorted and got to her feet. "_Not even you_? You may have been great once Kurama, but that was a long time ago." She emphasized the word long. "Younger, ambitious demons have taken your pedestal."

Kurama felt the sting, but something inside him stirred. He turned to face her, his eyes flashing golden. "Don't make the mistake of thinking my powers have diminished. I may have grown more cautious and unwilling to enter battles unnecessarily, but I can still end you or anyone else should the need arise."

Carmen didn't flinch as she held his gaze. "A hesitant decision may cost her life." She returned – not forcefully, not accusingly, but honestly.

Kurama knew she was right. "Don't worry – I'll be ready when something happens."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. Right now we have more pressing matters than the state of your pride. We need to get going if we're going to find Shangri La." She took one step before Kurama grabbed her arm.

"Let them be. They could use the rest. She's not exactly in the most stable mental condition at present."

Carmen's jaw tightened, but she stepped back and sat down. "What did that Mayuri woman have against you?" She asked, picking up an apple from the tray and biting into it.

Kurama turned back to the window. "An enemy from my past."

Carmen snorted crudely. "Cha, I gathered that much." Her eyes remained trained on him. "She obviously had some huge beef with you. And her power is definitely unique. I've never heard of that type of ability. Tell me about her."

Kurama said nothing. "You know as much as you need to know."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"When it becomes relevant, I'll let you know more about her." He responded calmly, playing at her own game of secrecy – he'd been keeping secrets long before she was ever even thought of.

* * *

"Shuiichi?"

The red head turned his head, his green eyes meeting Chloe's soft brown gaze. "Yes?" His voice was low, but not rumbling. The others were sleeping – she was supposed to be as well.

"Why did Carmen choose me?" It wasn't resentful, it was just curiosity.

Kurama smiled wryly, forgetting she wouldn't be able to see it in the perfect darkness with her human eyes. "If I knew the answer to that question you wouldn't be here." He replied honestly. "I'm sure she'll reveal her purpose when she feels it is time."

"Why didn't she just ask you to hold it?"

Kurama rolled onto his back and looked up at the stars. "Frankly, I wouldn't have done it. I have no particular ties to Carmen, and this life is one that I've tried very hard to separate myself from."

"Did you know her before this?"

He shook his head. "Not personally. Mostly through hearsay."

Chloe sighed. "I just wish I knew what she wanted with me. When we first met she hit me when I was going to scream, then apologized and said she had only planned to pop in while I was sleeping till the me- demons left. Then all of a sudden she told me I had to hide the box, which I later found contained the shard, until she chose to take it from my keeping. Now I can't seem to get rid of it or her."

Kurama digested this information. Was Carmen really playing it all by ear? He wouldn't put it past her, but still, it seemed very haphazard to include a human girl into her scheme's. Unless… his jaw set and a dark look entered his eyes. Unless her reason for involving Chloe was so he wouldn't have a choice but to help her. "Manipulative bitch." He spat, standing up.

Chloe sat up, eyes wide. "Wh-what?" She stuttered, suddenly afraid of the anger she could feel rolling off him.

Kurama caught himself; he couldn't do anything right now, not with Chloe watching. "I'm sorry." He relaxed, hiding his rage at having been neatly trapped. He could see the tension in the girl's body; he crouched in front of her, catching her gaze. "Chloe, look in my eyes."

Her eyes had widened just at his having called her Chloe, again, to her face. She felt like she was walking on air as she stared into his green gaze.

"I would never harm you, do you understand that?"

She bit her lip, and nodded hesitantly.

He moved without thinking and placed his hand over her's. "I am nothing like Carmen. We share species only. I would never hurt you on purpose."

Chloe could feel the sincerity in his voice sinking into her brain. "I-I believe you." She whispered, unable to tear her eyes from his gaze.

"If she ever hurts you again, I want you to come to me. I will not tolerate her abusing you, understand?"

Chloe opened her mouth to protest that it had only been that one time, but the words died on her lips. "Okay." She said instead, drawn to his caring tone. She wasn't sure if it was the proximity, or the sudden warmth coming from him, but impulsively she leaned forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." She whispered, lying back down and rolling over to hide the glowing smile spreading across her lips.

Kurama gazed at her for a minute longer before also lying back down. But his head was not easy – nor was his heart, if he could be perfectly honest…

* * *

"Attention!"

Five heads snapped to attention.

"The time has finally come – the moment you have been training for your entire lives."

"Yes master!"

An evil smile. "You are all experts on your target; you know her better than she knows herself. You cannot fail."

"Yes master!"

"Make me proud." A flick of a hand. "Bring me her body – bring me Carmen's corpse!"

* * *

The fire had died low hours ago. Light was just beginning to chase away the shadows around the realm. Carmen was sitting up, her elbows resting on her knees as she quietly braided her hair. Ethan and Haru had gone ahead to scout their path. Kurama and Chloe lay by her, sleeping peacefully. Her yellow eyes wandered, gazing at each of them in turn. It had been at least a century since she'd slept that peaceably. Faces, lives, deaths all haunted her dreams; they were really nightmares. Nothing good existed in them, only evil and violence. Her hands moved methodically, so used to the motions that she didn't have to expend one iota of thought to the process.

Suddenly, she couldn't explain why, she paused; her heart seemed to quicken, just like a human's. In less than a moment she was at Chloe's side, shaking Kurama with a foot while crouched in a protective position over the sleeping girl. "Hst. Wake up." She murmured, quieter than a human ear could hear.

Kurama didn't move, but his eyes shot open. "What's wrong?" His lips seemed hardly to move.

"Something's off. I can't hear some-" Her whole body shuddered as something impacted in her left shoulder, sending her tumbling back onto the ground.

Kurama was already moving before she hit the ground. He physically moved Chloe between himself and Carmen, his arms protectively around the drowsy girl. "What's going on?" Chloe jolted awake, blinking her eyes as she was dragged into consciousness. "Shh!" Kurama hissed.

Carmen brought her right hand up and ripped the straight, dark object out of her shoulder, shoving it into Chloe's hand. "Don't lose that!" She barked, on her feet and leaping the direction the shot had come from before she'd hardly finished her words.

Carmen disappeared. Silence reigned. Kurama didn't move. Chloe was too frightened to try and move, and too preoccupied to revel in the fact that her dream guy had his arms wrapped around her. Her eyes were wide, staring at the place Carmen had disappeared into the mist. She couldn't be sure how much time had passed, but it seemed an eternity before Kurama stood, bringing her with him. "Stay silent, and stay close." He murmured in her ear, bending and gathering her bag and jacket. He helped her into her jacket before leading her away at a quick pace.

Chloe was too afraid to break the tense silence. He seemed on edge, and she could sense it. She kept glancing over her shoulder, wishing Carmen would come running up to them out of the mist. But there was no sign of her. Chloe couldn't untangle the knot known as her stomach. Carmen wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead. … could she?

Kurama pushed her into the hollow of a tree, the plants mysteriously seeming to flock to him. "We'll be safe here." Kurama stayed in the entrance, his eyes darting protectively around. "What about Carmen?" Chloe asked, a hand on his arm so he would look at her. "She can handle herself."

Chloe looked down at the object Carmen had thrust into her hand. "What is this?"

"A dart. Probably poisoned."

Chloe's eyes widened. "She could be hurt and dying out there. We have to help her!"

"We can't. She probably wouldn't help us anyway. But she'll be-"

"So help me if you say 'she'll be fine' one more time I'm going to scream!" Chloe gripped his arm hard, her eyes piercing into his. "She's probably never had anyone risk something for her. Now go help her before something bad happens!"

Kurama opened his mouth to protest, but the look in her eyes stopped him. "These plants will stay with you and protect you. Stay out of trouble till I get back."

Chloe sank back into the tree as soon as he disappeared, unease settling into her heart. She knew she'd done the right thing telling him to go, but now that she was alone… She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a twig crack. The plant curled protectively around the tree, shielding her from sight. Nothing appeared, and momentarily the plants seemed to relax. Chloe couldn't. She was too on edge. Then she heard a far off sound – a scream of pain. A scream … Carmen's voice. "Stop being a sissy." She told herself firmly, stepping out of the hollow with shaky legs. She swallowed hard, looking carefully around. "Carmen needs your help – you need to start being useful."

She took off running almost before the words were out of her mouth, not because she suddenly found courage inside herself … she had just heard another twig snap.

Kurama sped towards the fighting he could sense going on. An unease was settling over him for two reasons: he'd just left Chloe, unguarded, in the hollow of a tree, and if his memory served him right before too much longer he was going to run into a very large, probably very swollen river. There would be no way to cross it, not for miles and miles in any direction.

'_Let me out!'_ Youko Kurama spoke in his mind, calmly. _'I haven't been out in ages. People are saying we've lost our edge – let's prove them wrong.'_

'No. You are a last resort, that is it.'

'_You're a fool if you think you can handle these assassins in your human form.'_

'I'll be the judge of that.' Kurama pulled up short at the edge of the trees, his eyes widening as he took in the scene before him. Two demons lay dead, their bodies ripped and mangled. The smaller trees were completely broken, the larger trees merely scratched till they looked as if they had been mauled by a wild animal. Kurama hurried to the riverbank, crouching down. There was blood everywhere, it was impossible to determine if anyone had fallen in the river, and if they had, who it had been. His eyes caught the flash of something silver next to his foot. He picked it up curiously. It was a silver chain with a simple silver ring; on closer inspection it revealed an intricate pattern of thin gold lines embedded in the surface or the ring.

'_That's Carmen's.'_ Youko spoke again.

'Perhaps.'

* * *

Chloe sank down on a rock, her lungs gasping for air. She'd run forever it seemed, but she had no idea if she was any closer to Carmen or Shuiichi. She felt dizzy, so she put her head between her knees. "This was a stupid idea." She grumbled, in between breaths. "What if he turned off? He could have. He probably did. Now you're lost, he has no idea where you are, and you're in the middle of a world where half the inhabitants would like to off you. This is a fantastic mess you've gotten yourself into." She hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face in them.

"Chloe!"

Her head jerked up, relief flooding over her when she saw Haru running towards her. "Haru!" She grabbed onto him almost as tightly as he grabbed her, tears of happiness spilling down her cheeks. "Hey…" He rubbed her back soothingly. "What are you doing here alone? Where's Carmen and Kurama?" He pulled her back so he could look at her face. "I don't know." She shook her head. "I told Shuiichi to go help Carmen, then I got scared and tried to follow him, but then I realized I had no idea where he'd gone, and now…now I'm here..Where's Ethan?" She asked, looking around.

He smiled. "He headed for the river, figuring we'd all end up there anyway." Haru stood her up. "Okay, you have to be brave. Chin up, we're going to go find Kurama or Carmen." He held onto her hand as he began pulling her along began pulling her along behind him. "Not too much further, there should be a river a short ways forwards." Chloe was amazed. "How do you know that?" She asked, stumbling along behind him. Haru squeezed her hand. "Some other time."


	9. Fear

A/N: I am so sorry it has been so long since I updated! I didn't realize quite how long it had been, and I've been super duper busy. That said, I hope you enjoy the latest installment!

* * *

Kurama crouched down on the edge of the cliff, brushing his fingertips across the dark stain. He sniffed, his sensitive nose catching Carmen's scent. The amount of blood here was unimaginable. If she was still alive, she'd be in bad shape. The trail led directly off the cliff and, presumably, into the water directly below; arrows lay strewn in the same area as the blood. She'd probably gone into the water to avoid being hit – the current was swift and strong and would have carried her away instantly. He looked back the way he'd come. Chloe was still waiting for him, but she shouldn't be in any danger for a while yet. Besides, the plants would take care of her so long as he kept himself alive.

_Carmen stumbled to the edge of the cliff as arrows flew around her. Arrows whizzed through the air, most landing on the ground or going over the edge, one or two of them catching her or nicking her. Everything danced in her vision. She blinked, trying desperately to clear her sight. That damned poison was working its magic upon her. She looked at the tumultuous waters below her, then back at the trees. The water didn't appeal – she couldn't swim. But the alternative was even less appealing – she would certainly die. She gathered her remaining strength and sprang off the edge._

Haru stopped, giving Chloe a chance to catch her breath. "You holding up?" He asked, smiling encouragingly. Chloe nodded, smiling wanly. She was very tired, and the amount of sleep she'd gotten was negligible, but somewhere she knew she had the strength to keep going. "Let's go."

_Water swirled all around her. Carmen could feel terror striking at her heart, but she forced herself to stay calm as she clawed at the water, trying to find the surface, which was nearly impossible, considering she couldn't even tell which direction was up or down._

Kurama sped along the edge of the river, his eyes scanning the edges for any place she could have exited. He didn't know how good of a swimmer she was, but if she'd been pinned down as it appeared, the likelihood is that she would have stayed in for a quite a while. No one could keep up with the kind of speed this river had, even a demon as fast as Hiei.

Kurama felt a twinge of regret. Hiei. Yusuke. Kuwabara. What had happened between them all? He'd shut himself off from this life and thrown himself into college. Somewhere along the way, he must have decided to shut them out of his life as well. He leapt to the very edge of the water, his feet barely finding traction among all the smooth rocks and boulders. He peered at one of the rocks. Blood…

_Carmen was beginning to panic. Her lungs were begging for air and she still didn't seem any closer to finding the surface than somewhere upstream. Her body slammed into something and her mind reeled as pain exploded all through her skull. Suddenly her head broke surface and her lungs gasped in some much needed air before she plunged back under. She hadn't even recovered fully before she found herself tumbling off an edge. 'A waterfall!'_

Kurama slowed, his ears listening carefully. He could hear a roaring ahead. A waterfall! His eyes widened. If his knowledge of his whereabouts was correct, it was a huge one. If she had been alive, and even that was an if, she probably wouldn't be after a fall like that. The force of the fall coupled with the rocks at the bottom would crush her body.

_Carmen couldn't really recall what had happened after she went over the edge, but what she did know was that right now she wasn't going anywhere. The water was pushing, but she was jammed up against something. And she was breathing air. She forced her eyelids up. She was up against a stout tree that was fallen half in the rushing waters. She assessed her condition as best she could. She couldn't feel most of her body, and what she could feel hurt like hell. But she'd rather face a hundred enemies than stay in this water one minute longer. _

_Summoning what courage she could she brought her left arm and grabbed onto the nearest nub of a branch, her numb fingers grabbing it as best she could; she couldn't feel her right arm, so that would be of no help. She pulled, but her fingers slipped and she fell back into the water. For a brief second she imagined being swept away again. But the tree was still there and she simply bobbed back up. She took a few deep breaths, forcing her demonic powers to control her arms and legs. She couldn't feel them, but if she used her powers she wouldn't need to. _

_She watched as her arms moved up and latched on the tree, her nails growing and digging into the very skin of the tree. She hauled herself up, clawing her way up the tree until she was halfway out of the water. Her demonic powers slipped up and she fell onto the ground, too weak to even drag herself the rest of the way out. _

Kurama climbed down the embankment, stopping by a large tree. He could see a place where something wet seemed to have climbed out of the water…or been dragged out. He turned and scanned the trees, on the defensive now. There was no way to tell who or what had found her, if in fact it had been Carmen dragged out of the river. He did however see a set of tracks. He'd been following a hunch until now, so he simply continued on.

Chloe hid behind the tree, peeking around just enough to see Haru examining the riverbank. She swallowed hard and glanced around. This whole world was so….creepy. She looked back towards the river, standing up when she saw Haru walking back towards her. "Haru look out!" She screamed when she saw a blur rushing towards him from the water. Haru had barely whirled around before it slammed into him, sending him flying.

Chloe stood frozen as a woman appeared. She was dressed all in black leather, and she held a knife in her left hand. "Well now, what is all this commotion going on around me river?" She walked over and knelt by Haru, peering at his face. "You're not a demon." She stood and came over to Chloe, likewise peering into her face. "Neither are you." She placed the knife in the sheath on her thigh, then rested her hands on her hips. "What the hell are you two doing in Makai?"

…..

Kurama crouched low to the ground, smelling the air with his eyes closed. It was hard to pick out Carmen's scent – it was being cancelled out by something, but he couldn't tell what. "One more step and you'll be dead." His eyes flew open as he spoke and he stood up.

"I couldn't tell who you were." Ethan stepped out of the shadows, hands raised passively.

Kurama calmed down. "Any sign of her?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, but she's definitely giving them a run for their money."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell? I can barely even follow her scent, and there are no tracks from her."

"Exactly. She's covering her trail and her scent. If she'd been captured, you would be able to smell her clear as day – she'd make sure of that."

….

"We're trying to find our friend. Please, she must have fallen in the river. Where is she?" Chloe stepped forward, stopping abruptly when she felt a finger poking into her chest.

"Not that close. We're not friends."

Haru struggled to his feet, pulling Chloe behind him. "We have no quarrel with you. Can you just tell us if she fell in?"

The demoness pursed her lips. "What are you offering in return?"

Chloe's jaw dropped. "Please, she's our friend! Won't you just-"

"Hush." Haru turned his head and put his fingers up to his lips, silencing the girl. "What is the information worth to you?"

The demoness smirked. "The real question is…what is the information worth to you?"

Chloe could hardly believe her ears. Why was it so difficult to get the woman to just tell them? It wasn't going to be any major effort on her part, so why all the fuss? "Please, she's our friend. Why won't you just tell us? It's not like we're putting you out if you just-"

"Silence!"

Chloe couldn't say why, but it was like her whole body just froze at the angry command.

"You may be human, but that is no excuse for your ignorance and stupidity. You're not in your pathetic human world anymore. If you want to live beyond these next two minutes I suggest you toughen up and learn that no one does anything out of the goodness of their hearts here."

Haru carefully placed himself between Chloe and the demoness. "What price do you ask, miss?" He knew in his heart it would be a hefty one since Chloe had given away how important the information was to them.

The demoness snorted at 'miss'. "Miss? Do I look like a naïve, virgin human girl to you? My name is Morana, the river goddess."

Chloe's eyes widened. "R-river goddess? But I thought-"

"You thought I was a simple demon? Hardly."

Chloe could see something in Haru's body language change, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Morana, then. What do want in return?"

Morana cocked her head, striding up and taking his chin in her hand. "Look in my eyes." She commanded. Her eyes were blue, like the Mediterranean sea, but ever changing in its shade. She stared into his unflinching gaze, seemingly straight into his soul. "Ash men tegur…" She murmured, grabbing his hand and turning it palm up. She moved her gaze from his eyes to his palm, suddenly releasing him and taking two steps back.

Chloe felt Haru inhale sharply, and she realized he hadn't drawn a breath since the goddess first looked into his eyes.

"This I require: you return to me when you have finished this whole business."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What?"

"Not you, human." Morana sent her a scathing look. "You, Haru. You must come back to me."

Haru was surprised. "I don't-"

"Of course you don't understand. And you won't. Until the time comes."

Haru looked at Chloe momentarily, then slowly nodded. "Very well."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Haru you can't!" She exclaimed, gripping his arm. "We'll find her ourselves, we'll-!" She cut herself off with a scream when Morana sprang forward and thrust her hand into Haru's chest. His whole body shuddered at the impact. The goddess pulled her hand out, covered in blood.

"Take him into the river if you want to save him. It will take you safely to the same place your friend pulled herself out."

Chloe numbly caught Haru as he toppled into her arms. "Haru!" She screamed, sitting down, staring at his white face and his unseeing his eyes.

Morana watched for a moment. If Chloe had cared to look, she would have seen something akin to pain flash through the woman's blue eyes. But it passed almost before it came, and she simply turned and walked back into the water, fading into the rushing stream.

Chloe forced herself to take long, deep breaths. She looked at the river. Did that madwoman think she was an idiot? They'd both die if they got in the river. But… She finally felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. But what did she have to lose? Haru was already dead…

"I don't know what to do Haru. I don't even know what just happened.." She reached out a shaky hand and placed it on his bloody chest. "What do I do?" Her body shook as she started sobbing into his shoulder. Her head jerked up as she heard what sound like a large animal somewhere behind her. She glanced between the river and the trees, adrenaline and panic kicking in. She sprang to her feet then reached down and pulled him up with more ease than normal. She linked her arms around his ribs so chest was against hers and gripped tightly as she backed towards the water, dragging him with her. She hadn't gotten more than six steps into the water before a sudden rustling in the trees caused her to slip and they both toppled back into the current.

…..

Carmen leaned heavily on the tree, taking careful, wheezing breaths; one of her lungs was punctured. "This is stupid." She wheezed. "I'm going to kill myself if I keep running." She fought the darkness creeping over her eyes. She didn't dare pass out now, not with killers on her trail. Her eyes scanned the darkness as she tried to force her foggy mind to think. She could just make out a cave, not too far.

"It'll do." She collected wood as she stumbled towards the opening. It wound straight back for a short distance before turning sharply. She used the wall to keep herself upright as she moved further and further into the welcoming darkness. She didn't even bother to cover her trail. If they'd followed her this far, which they probably had, then there was no point. Besides, if she didn't build a fire for warmth and start focusing on healing herself, she would die from internal bleeding and sickness soon enough.

She dropped the firewood down once she was decently sure they wouldn't see the light from the entrance, practically falling down herself next to it so she could set it up. Her hands were shaking fiercely, so much so she could barely hold two stones together to start the fire. Her first spark caught the nearest branch and burst into flames. The corner of her lip twitched up into the faintest hint of a smile..

…

Chloe coughed violently, her body heaving as it emptied the river water out of her lungs. She rested a moment before looked around for Haru. He was laying in his side with his back to her a few feet away. "Haru…" She crawled over to him, rolling him onto his back. He started coughing up water, rolling onto his side so he didn't swallow it again. She caught her breath violently.

Haru shook his head clear, turning and sitting it up.

"You're alive!" Chloe exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

He had to put an arm behind himself to keep from falling over. "Oof! What happened? How did we end up in the river?"

Chloe pulled back, using the back of her hand to swipe at her tears. "Do you remember anything?"

Haru furrowed his eyebrows. "I remember we were talking with the woman, then…then nothing." He shook his head.

Chloe swallowed hard. "She agreed to send us to where Carmen got out of the river."

"For free?" He asked dubiously.

Chloe forced her head to move up and down in affirmation. "I guess she had a change of heart."

Haru was clearly taken aback by that. "I've never known a demon of any sort to do anything for free."

Chloe knew she needed to get the topic changed fast – she didn't know how long she could keep lying to him without breaking down. "What do we do now?"

Haru looked down at his clothes, touching them thoughtfully. "Since we're magically dry, I guess…" He trailed off, frowning as he looked up at the sky. "This is stupid." He said suddenly, looking at her again. "We're running in circles, and who knows how long it could take to catch up to the others. We may as well build a fire for warmth and stay put until they come find us. It keeps us out of harm's way at any rate."

Chloe felt her heart sink. There was no way she could go on by herself. "But Haru, they won't know to look for us here. Last thing Kurama knew was that I was safe and sound somewhere" she gestured generally upriver "that direction. We can't just wait here forever."

"I know. But if we keep chasing them we're probably going to run into some trouble, or lose the trail entirely and be lost in the woods. At least here there's an open area, a river to escape into if need be, and I know basically where we are."

Chloe paused, looking at him curiously. "H-how do you know where we are?"

Haru could have bitten off his own tongue. "I've been mapping my journey in my head." He recovered quickly, hoping against hope that she bought it. There were things about him she just didn't need to concern herself with.

…

"Look." Ethan pointed ahead. "There's a cave. She's probably-" He fell swiftly silent when they saw three shadows separate from the wall by the cave entrance.

Kurama's eyes widened when he sensed the aura coming from the three; they were more powerful than he had anticipated.

'_Let me out. You've already sensed their aura, you cannot defeat them in your human form.'_

'Perhaps not by myself. But I'm not alone. Trust me.'

'_Fool.'_

Kurama ignored anything further from his dark side, instead focusing his attentions on being completely silent as they crept forward.

Carmen stood behind the fire, yellow eyes trained on the cave entrance. She didn't move a muscle as three figures stepped into the cave, black eyes and white hair suddenly illuminated by the firelight. "I knew it was you." She spoke, her voice hoarse from all her adventures.

….

Youko woke up on the ground of the cave, his head throbbing. He blinked, trying to get his blurry eyes to focus.

"Why are you doing this?"

It was Carmen's voice. The demon stopped moving instantly, his ears swiveling towards the sound.

"Why? WHY? Think real hard, Carmen, think real hard. You ruined my life!"

That was Ethan's voice. _Ruined his life?_

"I saved your life, Ethan. When I found you, you were almost bled dry! If I hadn't-"

"Shut up! You call this living? This isn't a life. With a thought you can control me! If you die, I die! I can't even care about anyone but you now! Your blood flows through these veins, MY veins! What kind of a life is that?"

Youko wrinkled his eyebrows. Carmen had used demon blood to somehow save Ethan's life? _Impossible. I would know about such magic._

"Believe it or not I did it for you." Carmen's voice was quiet, unlike her usual confident demeanor. "I'm sorry you're not happy with the fine print."

"It doesn't matter anymore. This is all going to end now!"

Youko sat up in time to see Ethan hurl himself at Carmen. His body shuddered to a stop mere inches from her; her hand, covered in his blood, protruded from his back. Ethan dropped the sword he had been holding, reaching his shaking hand and laying it on her face. "Thank…you…" His whispered, his eyes closing as he crumpled to the ground.

Carmen caught him and laid him down gently, pulling her arm out in one swift motion. She remained crouched over him for a moment, eyes closed. "Rest in peace." She murmured, straightening her legs and turning her eyes towards Youko. "I don't believe we've met, Youko Kurama. You don't come out and play much, do you?"

"No, I don't. Why I don't remember what happened after we came into the cave?"

Carmen's lips twitched. "You don't need to remember it."

"That's not what I asked."

"Youko, I don't want to tell you. Suffice it to say that everyone here who wanted to end my life has had theirs ended."

Youko looked at the ground: six bodies, including Ethan's. "What did you do to Ethan?"

"I killed him." Carmen's eyes flashed in the firelight; she knew what he was really asking.

"You know what I'm asking." Youko stretched to his full height. "You would do well to remember who the older one in this room is."

Carmen's eyes hardened and her lip curled back in a snarl. "Don't try to threaten me, Youko Kurama. You don't know how old I am or what kind of hell I could rain down on you."

Youko stared her down for a moment; there was something in her eyes, something that made even him wary of her. "I'm not looking for a fight." He said finally, although he still didn't dare turn his back on her.

Carmen forced herself to relax, reminding herself he wasn't the enemy. "Of course not. You came to rescue me." She snorted, kicking dirt on the fire to put it out. "Leaving Chloe all by herself in a world that would like to eat her. Brilliant." Her foot caught on the ground and sent searing pain shooting up her side. She crumpled to the ground without a sound, clutching her side as the pain intensified and spread through the whole right side of her body. She twisted on the ground in agony, eyes widened in pain.

Youko felt his strength fading and so retreated, letting red-headed Shuiichi take over.

"Carmen!" Kurama stepped forward to help.

Carmen was against the wall in an instant, fangs bared as she snarled "stay away from me!".

Kurama stopped, holding his hands up. She was terrified, and her instincts made her react like any animal that is wounded. "Carmen, I'm not here to hurt you." He spoke evenly, trying to calm her. "Let me help you."

Somewhere in her mind Carmen knew he was right. She forced her lips to close. "You can't help-AH!" Her head jerked back into the wall as new pain shot through her side again. She fell to the ground, leaving blood on the wall where her head had hit.

Kurama sat between her and the wall, not knowing what else to do except keep her from seriously injuring herself on something.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Haru stroked Chloe's hair; she was curled into his chest. "Chloe?"

"Mm?" She stirred a little.

"Are you in love with Kurama?"

Chloe was silent for a few minutes, a million thoughts racing through her mind. "I don't know." She spoke finally. "I've liked him for a long time, but I've never known him well enough to love him. And after everything that's happened...I don't know how I feel. I'm just glad that you're here. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Haru smiled a little, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "I'll always be here for you."

"..Thank you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Carmen opened her eyes. The fire had died, and she could see morning rays of sunlight peeking at the entrance of the cave. She swore under her breath and rolled over to hide her face from the light. When she tilted her head back she saw Kurama, propped against the cave wall, eyes closed in slumber. Her yellow eyes watched him for a moment before she got to her feet. She moved carefully, senses alert for any movement from her companion or any pain in her own body, though she seemed to have healed. How was she going to explain the last half of last night though?

She wandered to the cave entrance, basking in the light from the sunrise. Last night she'd almost..she shook her head, clearing those thoughts away. She'd come through, as always. "Like a damn curse…" She muttered, finally looking to examine the state of her clothes. They were ripped in a hundred different places, but still intact.

"You look like hell. How did you get all those scars?"

Carmen stiffened. He should be sleeping. There was a reason she didn't let anyone see her during the sunrise. She looked down at her arms; silver scars crossed up and down her arms, in some places scars on top of scars. "Fights." She forced her voice to be nonchalant and her body to remain casual as she turned and returned to the darkness further in the cave, making sure she turned away from Kurama so he didn't see her face in the light.

"There are so many." Kurama stood and stretched, stifling a yawn. "How come I haven't seen them until now?"

"Are you telling me you don't have any scars? Come now, I know you have your share."

Kurama gave up; he could tell when he wasn't going to get anything out of her. "We need to go find Chloe. And Haru."

"They're probably together." Carmen pointed out, humming a little as she rifled through the dead assassin's pockets. "Well this is annoying. They don't have anything on them. No clues as to-"

"What's that?" Kurama demanded.

"What's wh-ah!" She flinched as he grabbed her wrist in a steel grip. "Let go of me!" She snarled angrily.

Kurama pulled the collar of her shirt over her shoulder, revealing a stab wound. There was dried blood around it, but the wound itself looked black and fresh. "Why hasn't that healed?" His tone made it obvious he expected an answer.

Carmen nearly turned her head away, but remembered the morning light just in time. "It just hasn't healed yet." She shrugged, her nonchalance hiding the pain the movement caused.

"Don't play coy. Everything else healed, but that still looks fresh. Why is that?"

Carmen sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let this go. "Poison. Not fatal, but it'll make sure it takes a damn long time healing. There's no antidote, before you go getting all smart on me. Now let me go."

Kurama could have slapped her, but he didn't. He tore strips from the shirt of one of the assassins. "Take off your shirt."

Carmen raised an eyebrow, outwardly calm, inwardly thinking of nothing but the morning light. If she could stall for ten more minutes she wouldn't care. But in this light… "I didn't think you were that kind of guy." She smirked.

Kurama focused on breathing, reminding himself why he was even doing any of this. "We don't have time for games, Carmen. Every second we're away from Chloe is putting her life in danger."

Carmen hated it, but she knew he was right. In one smooth motion she pulled her shirt over her head, turning her head away from the revealing rays.

Kurama had to keep from gasping. The beams of sunlight revealed ugly, twisted scars ravaging her smooth skin. He'd never seen any demon with scarring this bad – never. And Youko had seen (and caused) his fair share of damage.

"Stop staring and just bandage it." Carmen snapped, keeping her head turned away.

Kurama wrapped her shoulder tight, his curiosity tugging at him – why was she hiding her face? But even as he tied the bandage the scars on her body faded away, leaving no marks on her skin. You couldn't even tell they'd been there now. "Finished." He stepped back, the image of her ravaged skin still in his mind.

"You can stop staring." She pulled her shirt back on, checking her arm in the light before allowing the sun to touch her face. "We should go."


	10. Falling Apart

A/N: I've been house-sitting, so I had some time on my hands. Enjoy!

* * *

"Kurama!" Chloe flung herself at him, relief at his safety (and her own security) washing over her like a flood. It was like a gigantic weight had been lifted from around her neck.

The red-head took a step back, slightly shocked at her outburst. "Hello, Chloe." It was sort of endearing how excited she was to see him.

She let go and pulled back, eyes wide and hands covering her mouth. "I-I am so sorry." She stammered, blushing furiously.

'That's the first time she's stammered in a while.' He noted, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. Are you two all right?"

Chloe looked at Haru, then nodded. "We're fine. Better than fine, now that you…both are here." Her gaze flickered between Kurama and Carmen.

Carmen snorted. "Like you've been waiting on the edges of your seats for me to come back."

Haru grabbed Chloe's arm. "You could be more grateful, we did all just traipse miles across Demon World to try and help you."

"Yes, and a lot of good it's done me." Carmen replied coolly. "And as you can see, I'm perfectly fine."

"What about all those tears in your clothes?" Chloe asked, almost timidly, then her eyes widened. "And where's Ethan? Did he find you guys?" She couldn't imagine what had caused those tears in Carmen's clothes, even further how Carmen seemed so undamaged underneath.

"He did. He-"

"-was killed by one of the assassins." Carmen cut Kurama off, sending him a warning look.

Kurama worked hard to keep from clenching his fist. Last night Carmen had seemed almost human. Now she'd reverted to her selfish, irritating self. 'She's your best chance at keeping your family safe. .. and Chloe…' He reminded himself, focusing on his breathing instead. It was better than going head-to-head with the woman.

_'Besides, you'd probably get thrashed.'_

The red-head didn't bother responded to Youko – he was right. There was still so much about her that was shrouded in mystery, and after seeing what she could do last night (although he didn't know exactly how she'd done it), he probably would be soundly beaten. Better to bide his time until he could turn her over to Spirit World.

Chloe blinked once. Then twice. Then three times. "He's dead then." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Haru could have beaten Carmen senseless for being so callous. "Chlo, I'm so sorry." He put his arm around her shoulders.

For some inexplicable reason, Kurama had the strangest feeling that he'd rather be the one comforting her.

_'Stop thinking like that. You're just keeping your family safe and then you'll be leaving her life. Remember that.'_

Chloe shrugged out of Haru's arm. "I'm not upset." She seemed as surprised as the rest of them. "He wasn't really my brother anymore. I can't explain it. He was … different. I'm sorry he's dead, but…nothing more. He was dead to me a long time ago, although I guess I just didn't realize it.."

Kurama looked at Carmen, half-heartedly hoping to see some sign of remorse on her face. Unsurprisingly he found her examining her fingernails with a bored expression. "Kurama, a word." She turned and walked back to the tree line, head tilted back as if looking for fruit growing on the trees. "Here's the snag. With Ethan dead, we have no way of finding Shangri-La."

"He didn't tell you where it was?"

"No. He would have no reason to since he was planning on killing me before we got there, now would he? So we go to plan B."

"Plan B?"

"She goes with us to the tournament. If she's not with me, she's with you, as simple as that."

"What happens if she gets separated and someone gets to her?"

Carmen didn't bat an eyelash. "She will become expendable."

An anger surged up in Kurama's chest, squeezing it painfully. "That's the thanks she gets for everything she's done for you, for all of us? You'd just abandon her? What happened to honor?"

"Honor would not let me sacrifice one world for one life. I will try to help her, but" Carmen's eyes held a hard glint in them "I do not bargain with my adversaries." They stared off for a moment before the familiar nonchalant look returned to her eyes. "It's rather nonsensical discussing all this anyway. I won't let her be taken under my watch, and if you do the same then we shall never have need of seeing how far my," she paused, seeming to chuckle a little "-honor, extends."

Kurama watched her walk away, pushing down the angry and irritated emotions welling in him. She was so flippant, so arrogant, so narcissistic! Did she really consider herself a god, or was that just an act?

There was no way to know.

…..

"Carmen?"

"Hm?" Carmen flicked one eye lazily towards Chloe, who had decided to walk beside her for a spell.

"May I ask you something?" The girl's eyes were staring intently at the ground, her hands entwined nervously.

Carmen had a sinking feeling she knew what the question was, but there was no graceful way to get out of it. "I'm not going to stop you from asking."

"Was Ethan a demon?"

Carmen nearly choked on her own spit. "Excuse me?"

"He was so different when he came back. I thought…"

"You have a lively imagination. Hungry?" Carmen stopped at a bush, picking pink berries growing on it. "They're delicious." She chewed them slowly, not to savor their tart flavor, but to let her mind process. Why had Chloe's mind jumped to that conclusion? This girl might be smarter than she'd given her credit for. If that was true, extra care was going to be needed.

Kurama and Haru caught up to them. "Why'd we stop?" Haru asked, sitting down on a log. They'd been traveling all day.

"Chloe was hungry." Carmen shrugged, popping more berries into her mouth.

Chloe's head came up. "I never sa-"

"I heard you stomach growl a mile back." Carmen winked, disappearing to the other side of the bush.

Kurama picked a few himself, smiling a little. She may be callous and irritating, but at least he could trust she would watch out for Chloe's well-being.

Chloe's eyes fell and a pink hue took to her cheeks. "I didn't think you heard it…" She mumbled, eating her berries one at a time. She was hungry, but she hadn't wanted to admit it since Carmen hadn't seemed to need a break.

Haru soon joined in the feasting. "Are you all right Chloe?" He asked between mouthfuls. "Do you want to sit down for a while?"

While the idea of sitting sounded incredible right now since her legs were throbbing, she shook her head. "I'm okay." She answered, determinedly smiling reassuringly.

"Haru's right, you should rest for a bit. You're not accustomed to this amount of walking." Kurama spoke up, motioning to the log Haru had abandoned.

Chloe opened her mouth to protest, then shut it and went over and sat in front of the log, instead using the wood as a backrest She smiled when Haru plopped down next to her and offered a handful of berries. "Thanks Haru. How much farther do you think we have to go?"

Haru leaned his head back. "Dunno. Kurama?"

The red head lay down on the log, his head towards them. "I'm not sure, probably still a day and a half. I-" He paused; they still didn't know that he was a demon. "-have only heard about them." He finished lamely.

Haru glanced at him; he'd heard the pause. Chloe didn't even look up, just chewed her berries slowly.

….

"ah-CHOO!" Chloe sneezed loudly, using one arm to rub her nose briefly before wrapping it again around her body. A thunderstorm had started two days ago. They had had cover from trees for the next half day, but they'd spent the next day traveling across a barren wasteland that seemed never ending. The rain was pounding on them just as hard, and Chloe flinched every time lightening cracked – some had gotten awful close.

"How much further?" Haru shouted to Carmen, who was several feet ahead of them.

"Just over the ridge!" Carmen yelled back, swiping some water out of her face. "Let's pick up the pace. Kurama, help Chloe. Haru, how are you feeling? Do you have it in you?"

Haru looked at Chloe, then nodded determinedly. "Yeah!"

"Alright. It's a race now. Last one there buys drinks!" Carmen took off like a shot.

"Hey!" Haru leapt after her, all thoughts of wet and cold lost.

Kurama fell into step beside Chloe. "You'll be warmer sooner if you hurry."

Chloe nodded miserably. "I know. I'm just so tired…"

"You've already come this far. Carmen will never let you hear the end of it if you don't put some effort into it."

Chloe knew he was right, but the thought of moving any faster than this plod was just so tiring.

"It'll help warm you up too." Kurama held out his hand. "Trust me?"

Chloe looked at him for a moment before tiredly placing her hand in his. "Okay.."

…

Carmen slid down the muddy incline, leaping to avoid boulders. There was a small city at the base, and a particular tavern that had both warm rooms and delicious drinks. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see Haru come bolting over the edge. "Holy sh-!" She jumped to the nearest boulder and propelled off it. She was freefalling for several seconds before her feet met the slippery ground again. She leapt and rolled to a stop when she met the flat ground. She straightened herself out, crossing her arms as she watched Haru make his clumsy way down the incline.

"I almost had you." He panted after he rolled to a stop at her feet.

Carmen snorted. "Oh please. I was barely trying."

"Uh-huh." Haru got shakily to his feet, using his hand to move his hair from his eyes. His blond hair was plastered to his head, and now was more brown than blond thanks to the mud.

Kurama and Chloe crested the ridge. "It's easy from here. You just slide down the hill. Be sure to avoid the rocks though. Shall I go first?"

Chloe gave him a wan smile. "Sure."

Kurama let go of her hand and moved to a clear path, crouching slightly before stepping off the solid ground. The mud took him immediately, sending him flying down the sharply inclined hill.

Chloe moved to where he had been, watching until he was safely down the hill.

"Come on Chloe. It's fun!" Haru yelled, waving his arms.

Chloe took a deep breath. "Shouldn't be too hard, right?" She mumbled to herself, crouching like Kurama and then stepping onto the mud. "Ah!" She shrieked as she lost her footing and fell onto her side. A bump sent her tumbling down the hill every which way. She felt herself hit something and she stopped suddenly. She opened her eyes, and her brown gaze met Kurama's amused green eyes.

"Are you all right?" He asked, pulling her to her feet.

Chloe nodded, blinking her eyes to try and make the world stop spinning. "Uh-huh. Just…a little dizzy."

Carmen threw back her head and laughed. "You definitely know how to make an entrance. Let's go get warm now."

…

"I don't think it's open." Haru pointed out dryly, looking at the locked door and barred windows.

Carmen gave him a scathing look. "You obviously don't know what you're talking about." She walked up to the door and raised one foot and kicked it. "OOOW!" She yelled, limping in a circle and holding her leg with her hands. "Dammit Eric – that's not nice!" She yelled, walking up to one of the windows and ripping the bars off. "I'll show you a damn demon repellent lock!" She raised her fist to smash the window when she heard a distinctive click from behind them.

"I wouldn't do that."

All four turned to look at the male pointing a strange gun at them. "Carmen?" He lowered the gun.

"What kind of a welcome is this Eric?" Carmen pointed to the door. "I nearly broke my foot on that thing."

Eric shrugged, uncocking the weapon. "You told me you wouldn't be around for another couple of days. Besides, I thought it'd be fun to test it out before it was really needed."

"Damn troublemaker." She groused. "We're here now, so can we get our rooms? We're tired, wet, and dirty, so we'll need baths and new clothes too."

Eric snorted. "I don't run a maid service." His hands glowed blue for a moment when he put them over the lock, then it clicked open. He pulled it off and pushed the door open. "Come on in guys." He snapped his fingers and the lights came on.

Carmen was the last in and she shut the door behind them. "You still living here by yourself?"

"Yep." Eric placed the shotgun behind the bar. "This way guys." He led them through a door and up a winding set of stairs. At the top was a small, round landing with four doors. "Leave your clothes outside your doors and I'll see they get cleaned. There are towels and extra blankets to wrap up in in the closets."

…

_"Commander!"_

_-BOOM-_

_"Keep your head down!" The young commander snapped at her soldier, swiping one muddy hand across her face to clear her short red hair from her eyes. "What is it? Where are the others?"_

_"Dead. They're all dead. Burned in the tents."_

_The commander finally turned her yellow eyes on the soldier. He looked angry, but controlled. "We're all that's left of our little stealth incursion then."_

_"Yes sir."_

_"Funny how they knew where to strike.." She mumbled, her mind thinking quickly. "How far is their group?"_

_"30 paces."_

_"How fast can you run?"_

_"Fast enough."_

_The commander dared a peek over the edge of the ground. "All right. We're going to have to do this by ourselves then, understand?"_

_He nodded. "I understand Cailyn. We're not coming back."_

_She nodded, pulling him close and planting a heavy kiss on his lips. "I love you."_

_"I love you."_

_"Let's go!" She leapt over the embankment, her feet moving so swiftly she was a blur. Fire rained down around her, but she was too quick. She made the thirty paces before whipping out her knives. A slash here, a stab there, and the ground was soon rank with demon blood. "Get the wind demons!" She shouted to her companion, turning only to find herself knocked over by large, blue demon. His hands were cold – very cold. "Filthy ice demons!" She spat, feeling her limbs growing colder and heavier as she thrashed against him. Then his hands were around her neck, squeezing tighter-_

"Carmen!"

Carmen bolted upright, the knife in her hand pressed into Chloe's neck.

Chloe didn't dare breath, though she wanted to make a noise. The eyes staring back at her were not those of the Carmen she knew. "C-Carmen?" She whispered fearfully.

Carmen blinked, her yellow eyes finally focusing on Chloe. "What the hell were you thinking waking me up when I'm sleeping." She dropped the knife and slid out of the bed, the pants and shirt she'd borrowed from Eric hanging loosely on her thin body. She looked in the mirror, her green hair falling loose over her shoulders.

"Y-you yelled in your sleep. I-I'm next door..s-so I heard it and I was worried." Chloe put a hand to her throat, still in shock at how close Carmen had come to-

"Get out." Carmen pulled Chloe off the bed and shoved her roughly out the door. "Get out!"

Chloe tripped and fell to the floor, her heart pounding. What had come over Carmen?

"Chloe?" Haru stepped sleepily out of his room.

"What's wrong?" Kurama stepped out of the other door, looking much more awake.

"Th-there's something wrong with Carmen. Sh-she yelled in her sleep, so I went to wake her. First she nearly sliced my neck open, and th-then she threw me out of the room!" Chloe scooted away from Carmen's door, eyes wide.

Haru beat Kurama to Carmen's door and shoved it open. "What is your problem?" He shouted angrily.

Carmen was pacing in front of the fire, hands nervously braiding her hair. "Get. OUT!" She roared, the room darkening visibly.

"Make me! You can't treat Chloe like that, I don't care how badass you think you are!"

Kurama barely made it in front of Carmen before she ripped Haru's head off. "Calm down." He pushed his hands against Carmen's shoulders, keeping her away from the human.

"Let her – I'm sick of her narcissistic crap!"

Kurama caught one glimpse into Carmen's yellow eyes. There was something there he'd never seen before. He couldn't place it..

_'Let her go. Both of you get out of there.'_

Kurama was shocked to hear the urgency and understanding in Yoko's voice. 'I can't just let her get away with scaring Chloe that badly.'

_'Trust me. I know that look – I have it. It comes from seeing things nobody, human or demon, should ever see. Let her be."_

Kurama backed away slowly from Carmen, for some reason his senses cautioning him to move carefully. "Let's go Haru." His tone didn't leave room for argument. He herded the boy out of the room, clicking the door softly shut behind them.

"You're just gonna let her get away with that?" Haru demanded angrily.

Kurama could have smacked the boy. "Did you see the look in her eyes? She was going to kill you. Not figuratively – literally. Your blood would be staining the floor right now if I hadn't intervened."

Chloe grabbed Haru's arm. "What? Why would she do that?"

Kurama shrugged, his memory still burning with the look in her eyes. "Something sent her over the edge. We know practically nothing about her history, so there's no telling what was set off or how. For now, just keep your distance. You two should go back to bed. Get some rest."

Haru grudgingly returned to his room; Chloe followed him wordlessly.

Kurama watched the two until the door closed. Inexplicably he felt jealousy swelling inside him that she- He shook his head, dispelling those thoughts before they formed. He likewise returned to his room, but kept the door open so he would see and hear anything that happened.

….

Breakfast was taken downstairs; it was a silent affair. Chloe kept her eyes pointedly down, Haru stared at Carmen, Carmen didn't seem to care, and Kurama kept his eyes on all three of them.

"Well?" Haru spoke finally, dropping his hands onto the table. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Carmen ignored him, instead biting into an apple.

"Haru.." Chloe looked at her friend, shaking her head.

He ignored her. "I'm talking to you Carmen, and I know you can hear me though you pretend not to."

Carmen took another bite of apple.

Kurama tried to catch Haru's gaze. "Enough Haru, let it go."

"No. No I won't let it go. Just because she thinks she's something special-"

"I love apples." Carmen tossed the apple core on her plate, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes contentedly.

"You could have killed Chloe last night!" He slammed his fist on the table.

"But I didn't."

"What stops you from doing it next time?"

Carmen rolled her eyes. "Haru, boy, I stopped myself from killing her. And IF it happens again, I stress if, it will be me again who stops myself. I'm just not used to traveling with people, so getting woken up usually means I'm being attacked. I can't shut my instincts off at will."

"If it happens again…"

Carmen looked like she was considering gutting him but instead crossed her arms. "Are you threatening me, human?" She nearly spat the last word.

Chloe felt goosebumps running up and down her arms. "Haru, you don't have to do this. She didn't mean anything last night." She whispered worriedly.

Kurama put his bread down, ready to jump in if need be.

Haru stood up, facing Carmen. "If you need it spelled out for you, then yes – that's a warning."

Carmen gave a forced laugh, not bothering to stand up. "You're a stupid child." She could see his fist clench at that. "As such, I won't beat you to a bloody pulp. But know that the last person who threatened me was unpleasantly ended. By me. And he was much larger, much more powerful, much older, and a demon."

"Come on Haru, leave it be." Chloe tugged at his arm, her fearful brown eyes watching Carmen.

"No! I'm not gonna just leave it be!"

"Haru, think carefully." Kurama cautioned. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife.

Carmen stood up slowly, eyes trained on Haru's. "If you want to hit me, then hit me."

"Haru, don't!" Chloe pulled harder, afraid that Haru would take the advice.

"I'm serious kid – hit m-" Carmen's head snapped to the side from the force behind Haru's fist when he punched her. For a moment time seemed to stand still. Carmen didn't move, Haru didn't move, and Chloe looked on in horror. Finally the green-haired demoness turned her head back; the left side of her jaw was red and her lower lip was split and blood was dribbling down her chin. "Do you feel better now? Feel like a man?" There was a mocking tone to her voice.

"You fu-"

"Enough!" Kurama stood up, towering over the others. "Haru, leave. You've done enough damage."

Haru allowed Chloe to pull him away, though he continued glaring at Carmen as they went up the stairs.

"Aah, kids." Carmen sat back down, swiping away the blood with the back of her arm.

"You don't need to taunt him like that." Kurama looked at his food again, but right now he just couldn't stomach it. Why was it the one person they needed the most right now was the one person they all wished they could unceremoniously get rid of. Well, perhaps not Chloe – she was far too forgiving and…he hated to say it, but too naïve. Too naïve to understand why Carmen, even though she was protecting her, was so dangerous, to them all.

"He hardly needed the encouragement." Carmen pointed out, shrugging. "He had something to say and he was going to say it. Why shouldn't I have let him get it out of his system? That way he won't be so grouchy."

Kurama bit back a sharp remark, choosing instead to ask "What were you dreaming about last night when Chloe woke you up?"

Carmen picked up Chloe's uneaten apple and bit in. "Mmm. You know, I find it hard to believe how delicious and nutritious apples are. Aren't things that taste good supposed to be bad for you?"

Kurama held back a sigh. She wasn't going to talk, was she? "When does the tournament officially begin?" He finished his food; he'd need his strength, if only to deal with Carmen all day.

"Tonight at dusk. Don't let Chloe out of your sight today. I have..arrangements to make, so I will be here and there with no time to play baby-sitter." Carmen stood, straightened her skirt and pulled up her boots before skipping lightly out of the tavern.

…

A huge crowd had gathered, facing out towards the seemingly empty plains; it was an hour before dusk. Chloe watched them from the window in her room. "What are they doing?" She asked Kurama, who was standing by her.

"I don't know. The tournament is supposed to start in an hour, so perhaps they're waiting to head to the fighting ring."

"I guess…" Chloe bit her lip, twisting her hands nervously.

Kurama looked down at her from the corner of his eye. He could only imagine what she was going through, but he had no idea how she was holding it all together as well as she was. He just wanted to hold her and make everything go away. Technically he could just have Spirit World apprehend Carmen and the medallion at the tournament and then-

"Look!" Chloe exclaimed, eyes wide. At first it just looked like a bunch of sand blowing around, but it was quickly forming into a huge stadium. "I've never seen anything so huge!" She couldn't stop staring at it, the thing was gigantic! Doors the size of small buildings swung out slowly, pushed open by two huge demons. "Is that Carmen?"

Carmen strode through the middle of the doors and down the ramp. She was clad all in black leather with her shoulders and arms exposed. Her green hair was braided and pulled over one shoulder, a black ribbon weaved in with her hair. "Ladies and gentleman, the Black Tournament can now commence!"

Chloe watched the mob of demons swarm through the doors. "Wow."

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to get dressed and come watch the fights?"

Kurama and Chloe turned around. Carmen stood in the doorway, arms holding some clothing similar to her own.

"What's wrong with my clothing?" Chloe looked down at her jeans and t-shirt confused.

"Nothing, except that I don't want to be seen in public with you. Put these on and go find your seats. You'll have a good view, but be far enough back so you shouldn't get any miscellaneous fire."

"M-miscellaneous fire?" Chloe's eyes widened.

Carmen snorted. "We don't fight by human rules, and we play with bigger matches. Hurry up, or you're going to miss the first fights." She tossed the clothes over and disappeared out the door.

"You don't have to wear those." Kurama pointed out gently. "And don't worry about what she said. It doesn't happen often, but I'll have you out of harm's way if it looks like it will go that way."

Chloe was only some reassured. "No, I'll wear them, it's okay. I've just never worn," she held up the pants "leather before."

…

Chloe kept her head down, self-consciously crossing her arms in front of herself. "I didn't realize leather was so…huggy." She whispered to Kurama, ducking her head again. "I feel like the only person in a hundred miles who's wearing all leather." She was doubly conscious of the cold of the medallion piece as the leather pressed it into her chest.

Kurama chuckled. "Just wait till we get inside. There are many female demons who prefer it, both because it moves so well but also because it affords some small amount of protection. You won't be the only one."

Chloe couldn't keep her head down once they entered the huge doors. Demons were everywhere, moving in every direction. She barely felt Kurama take her hand she was so lost looking at everything. "Everything is huge!" She exclaimed, letting herself be pulled along. Suddenly the came out of the hallways into the seating area around the arena in time to here Carmen over the speakers say

"Welcome to the Black Tournament!"


	11. The Black Tournament

Chloe watched in shock as the two demons down in the arena went at each other. "How do they determine who wins? There's nothing showing out of bounds."

Kurama glanced down at her. Carmen had mentioned this to him at one point. "These fights are to the death. At least until someone is unconscious, but with demons.." He shrugged. With demons the more likely outcome was death.

"But Carmen's going to fight! ... What if-"

"Don't worry." Kurama smiled reassuringly. "Carmen can handle herself." He watched impassively as one of the demon's heads was ripped off by the other one.

Chloe gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Kurama couldn't blame her. This tournament was going to be brutal. Demons fighting, no rules, death the accepted outcome? There would be worse than just heads being ripped off. "You'll get used to it."

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to it." Chloe opened her eyes, looking anywhere but at the arena. "I'll watch Carmen fight, but I don't want to watch the rest."

Kurama couldn't even remember a time when it had phased him to watch gore. She was so innocent, it seemed cruel that she'd been forced into all of this. 'I'd give a great deal to be able to give her back her innocence.'

_'Well that just sounds like you-'_

'Hush.' Kurama silenced Yoko quickly, turning his attention to the arena. "When is Haru coming?"

"He's not coming today. I think he's still too angry at Carmen, he won't come out of his room." Chloe sighed.

"We're all a little upset with Carmen right now."

"Please don't be on my account. She frightens me, I can't lie, but..I think that's just who she is."

Kurama looked at her, a little surprised. "You're very forgiving."

Chloe smiled slightly. "I've met people like her. They're not bad people, they just..they just don't know how to do anything other than protect themselves. The best defense is a good offense, after all."

"You're the most understanding person I've ever met." Kurama told her honestly. "Chloe, I-"

"Carmen's coming out!" The demons around them yelled, some booing and some cheering.

Chloe leaned forward in her seat, eyes glued on the set of doors opening on the left side of the arena.

Carmen strode out, now clad in a tight white shirt and flowing white skirt, barefoot. She looked around the noisy crowd, eyes finally picking out Kurama and Chloe in the crowd. She raised her hand and waved, stepping gracefully over the body of the latest loser. Finally she reached her spot and stopped, watching lazily as the other doors began to open. A large, muscular blue demon walked out, nodding to Carmen as he walked.

Chloe gasped when they both seemingly disappeared. "Where are they?" She grabbed Kurama's arm, eyes searching.

There was a sudden explosion of light in the center before the two demons reappeared, locked in hand-to-hand combat. Neither had any weapons, and didn't even seem to be using much aura.

Carmen narrowed her eyes as the demon block blow after blow. He was too good at blocking her assault. Either he was incredibly good, or…. "You're a mind-reader." She stated aloud, locking their arms briefly. When he didn't respond she smirked. "You're probably deaf too." Still nothing. Making a split second change in her decision she grabbed his arms and slammed their heads together. 'Let me knock you out. I have no wish to kill you.' She blinked her eyes as blood dribbled down her face, though she had no notion of who's blood it was.

The demon threw her half-way across the arena, a pink aura beginning to surround him.

"Can't say I didn't give you a chance." Carmen sprang from the ground, blanking her mind so she had no attack plan in mind – she had several, all different. She was three feet from him before she caught the twinge of his muscles as he moved to defend. "Gotch-" Suddenly she was no longer moving. She looked down. She could see his forearm protruding from her gut. "Damn." She looked up at his face in time to see the slightest smirk grace his lips. Then her claws ripped into his chest. 'Sorry.' She jerked her hand out, his heart still beating in her bloody fist. She bit into the warm organ then spit the piece out and held up the heart triumphantly.

The crowd cheered.

Chloe's face was white as a sheet. "Wh-what just happen…Carmen got…" She put her hand over her stomach, then the other over her heart. "She…his heart…I'm going to faint. Or puke. I don't know which."

Kurama stood, pulling her gently to her feet. "Let's get you to a bathroom." He kept his arm around her waist, supporting her; she seemed like she was going to topple over if he let go.

The crowd cheered some more as Carmen dropped the heart and pulled the arm out of her midsection before walking back through her doors. Once through she used the wall to support herself, using all her willpower just to put one foot in front of the other. She clicked on a light outside of her room, indicating she needed medical attention and practically fell through her door, barely making it to the sink before she began throwing up blood.

Kurama sat Chloe down on a bench, wetting some paper towels and carefully wiping down her face. "How are you feeling?"

Chloe took a few more deep breaths. "Better. I don't think I'm going to faint, though I may still puke later."

Kurama chuckled. "That's normal. Do you feel up to going and checking on Carmen?"

Chloe nodded and got to her feet, staying close to the wall – just in case.

"Carmen?" Kurama knocked on her door, sensitive ears catching the puking noises coming from within. He opened the door and found Carmen bending over the sink, knuckles white from gripping the edges so hard as her system emptied the blood.

"Carmen!" Chloe exclaimed, rushing to her side.

Carmen gave one last might heave before it finally stopped. She spit the remaining blood from her mouth before looking up at them. "What?" She croaked, staggering over to the treatment table and laying down on it.

"Are you okay?" Chloe followed her, looking worried.

Carmen snorted. "Yeah, it's just a scratch. And I wasn't throwing up from it, I'm just bulimic."

"No need to take out your pain on Chloe." Kurama stepped up to her side. "How bad is it?"

"It'll be fine, just as soon as the damn medics stitch me up." She used her finger to pick something out of her teeth. "Gross. I think that's a piece of his heart."

Chloe turned white again and ran to the sink. This time she really did throw up.

Kurama gave Carmen an annoyed look. "That wasn't necessary."

Carmen chuckled, wincing in pain. "Yeah but it was funny."

"What kind of a fighter was that? He wasn't an elemental. I've never felt that kind of aura." Kurama asked curiously. Carmen's lip twinged upward. "A mind-reader. They're incredibly rare, and tough as all hell to beat."

"You managed without excessive trouble."

"He's not the first mind-reader I've fought."

…

The next day's battles were longer than the first. Chloe again didn't watch. "Why are they taking longer this time?" She asked Kurama. Kurama watched as the two earth demons smashed each other black and blue. "This tournament was by invite only. The invitees were carefully selected for proper level, lineage, and battle history. They are each of them excellent fighters, so yesterday separated the good from the best. Now all the best are battling each other, so it takes longer because neither has a real advantage." Chloe's mouth made an 'o'.

"Look, Carmen's coming out." Kurama tapped Chloe's shoulder. She looked at the arena, her anxiety growing with every step Carmen took. "Please be careful Carmen." She whispered, hands clenched together.

Carmen was wearing her black leather outfit this time, her hair braided and hanging over her shoulder. She raised her arm as before and waved to Kurama and Chloe. Her opponent was a short, bald man. He had gloves on and a pair of swords strapped to his back. Carmen watched him as he approached. 'Shoot.' He reached her almost before she realized it and she only barely managed to leap backwards before one of his swords cut the air her neck had previously occupied.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Carmen backflipped away, knowing full well her advantage would be in long distance, though explaining how a cat demon could control elements was, well, rather difficult to explain, so… 'Close combat it is.' She gritted her teeth, leaping into the frying pan, as it were.

She knocked his first swing of the sword away with one arm, her other first coming up and connecting with his throat. He'd protected it with his aura so she hurt her hand more than his neck. She felt a slice across her back from her sword and retaliated with a headbutt. He hadn't expected that and stumbled back, blood dripping down his forehead.

Carmen's claws and fangs came out. "Play time." She hissed, launching herself at him. She ducked as he swung his sword, planted her hands on the ground and swung her feet down on his sword-arm-shoulder. There was a sickening pop as his shoulder dislocated. But her victory was short-lived when she felt his sword slicing through the back of her left knee.

She gave a cry of pain and leapt away from him, her leg crumpling under her when she landed. "That's a dirty trick you bastard." She spat, yellow eyes glaring. He didn't make so much as a facial expression at her words. Like she'd done at the river she filled her leg with her aura, using that to stand back up. "Okay, let's finish this quick like." She launched at him again.

…..

Silence filled the stadium.

Carmen stared down at her opponents body from her knees. That had been the longest fight of her life, probably the longest of the whole tournament. She blinked, her vision starting to get blurry. 'Get up and walk you fool. If you pass out it's a draw. GET UP!'

"Kurama, Carmen has three swords sticking out of her back." Chloe was gripping his hand hard; she'd been squeezing it for most of the fight.

It seemed as if the whole stadium was on edge, waiting to see what Carmen would do.

Carmen slowly got to her feet, swaying for a moment before steadying herself and walking carefully towards her doors. She focused hard; the edges of her vision were beginning to go dark.

Kurama pulled Chloe to her feet. "Come on." He whispered, leading her into the hallways and towards Carmen's room. It wasn't but a moment or two before Carmen appeared, still walking the same as when she left the arena. Chloe put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Carmen-"

"Don't. Touch. Me." Carmen spoke on three breaths, trying not to breath too deep. She flipped the switch outside her door and stepped inside. Her leg gave out and she toppled just as soon as she passed the doorway. Kurama caught her before she hit the ground. "You've got swords in you Carmen, you've gotta stay upright until the medics get here."

Carmen coughed, lifting her arms and grabbing his arms weakly. "Thanks. He. Got my..leg pretty…good."

Two medics rushed in the room and took Carmen from him.

"Take care of her." Chloe spoke finally, just before they shut the door. Kurama gently pulled her away. "Come on Chloe. They'll take care of her."

"I know..I've never seen her so.." She frowned, searching for a descriptor. "Fragile."

Kurama remembered back to the cave. "It's rare."

"Can we walk around for a while?" Chloe asked suddenly, looking up at him. He didn't have the heart to say no, so he nodded.

…

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?" Kurama brought himself out of his reverie. They had been wandering around for a little in complete silence. "Sorry for what?"

Chloe kicked a rock with her foot. "For getting you into this mess. You shouldn't have been dragged into this."

"You are not to blame here." He reassured her.

"I know, but I'm still sorry. I know you worked hard to get away from all of this. You should be off at your college right now, drinking coffee and reading your textbooks, not baby-sitting me."

If there had been daylight she would have seen the guilty look that stole over his face. "I did work hard to get away from all of this, but.."

Chloe looked up at him in the dark. "But what?"

"I don't know if that was the right decision anymore." He remembered Yusuke's face when Carmen had told them to leave after Kuwabara's rescue. He'd hurt his best friends, friends that had saved his life countless times and were always there for him. The first chance of freedom and he had abandoned them, selfishly.

"Why would you say that? This doesn't seem like the kind of life you'd want to stay tangled in. If Carmen is any indication then I'd say it's a good thing you got out when you did."

Kurama smiled a little in the dark. "Carmen's a unique case, but I understand what you're saying. That's why I wished to disentangle myself, but I took it to the extreme. I abandoned my friends in the process, I hurt them quite a bit I think."

"They'll forgive you." Chloe grabbed his arm. "They miss you."

Kurama turned to her. "Perhaps. But that doesn't mean they'll forgive me."

"Do you miss them?"

"What?"

"Do you miss them?" Chloe repeated, moving closer so she could make out his face. She could see a sadness steal over his features.

"It's complicated." On the one hand yes, he did miss them. But at the same time they were a constant reminder of everything he wanted to forget, a constant reminder of the darker side of him lurking beneath his calm exterior, a reminder of memories he wished he didn't carry.

Impulsively Chloe lifted a hand and cupped his cheek. "Why are you always so sad?" She whispered, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his eyes locked on her's.

"There's always a sadness behind your eyes, like a war veteran who's seen more than a person should see."

"I wish I could forget some of the things I've seen."

Chloe couldn't explain later why she did what she did; something inside her just spurred her forward. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, soft as a butterfly's kiss. She didn't know if he'd reject her outright or just be confused, but she didn't really care. Suddenly she felt his arms around her, pulling her closer, and..he was kissing her back! Any thoughts she had flew out of her mind she was so lost in this precious moment.

"Well isn't this…precious."

They both turned their heads.

"It's him!" Chloe gasped as her brown eyes met dark orange eyes. Kurama pushed her behind himself protectively. "Who are you?" He demanded. This was the third time they had run into this man; it could not be a coincidence now.

The man walked slowly forward. "I want the medallion piece she has under her shirt."

Chloe's eyes widened. How did he know about that? "I don't have it. I gave it to Carmen." She was glad to managed to keep from stuttering.

He smiled tolerantly. "Don't try to lie to me. It will do you no good. Now I don't intend either of you any harm, but when I said I want the medallion piece I wasn't asking."

Chloe stepped back, only to have her foot hit something. She glanced over her shoulder, her breath catching in her throat. There was a wall behind them now – it hadn't been there just a moment ago. 'Not good, not good, not good!' She pressed against the wall, the stranger's slow movements forward now seeming terrifying.

Kurama spared one glance over his shoulder at the wall. They were neatly trapped. His mind worked quickly, calculating odds and hastily preparing strategies. He stepped forward and reached into his hair. "Rose whip!"

Chloe watched in astonishment as first Kurama pulled a rose out of his hair, then that rose magically transformed into a thorn-covered whip. "What the heck?" She gasped, sinking into the wall.

"This is your first and last chance to back down. I don't want to harm you, but that doesn't mean I won't." The stranger stopped walking and raised on arm towards Kurama. "Very well then – but I warned you."

…..

Pain. A searing pain in her chest. Chloe groaned and opened her eyes. She was lying face up on the ground, staring up at a black sky. She raised a hand to her chest, wincing when her fingertips ran over burned skin. She lifted her head to look. Her shirt front was torn down to her bra, the medallion piece was off to the side of her neck, and the skin where it had sat was burned. She sat up carefully, trying to figure out if she was injured anywhere else. She couldn't feel anything, but there was little light this far down the alley so it was hard to tell.

She got to her feet, using the wall for support until the dizziness passed. "Kurama?" She looked both ways down the alley; it was empty as far as she could tell. "Kurama?" She called again, turning her back to the lights and beginning to walk. "Talk to me Kurama, where are you?" She could feel worry knotting in her stomach. Last she remembered he'd been about to take on that strange orange-eyed man. What if he'd been hurt? What if he'd been killed? What if-

"Ah!" She tripped over something and stumbled to her knees. She turned to look, her eyes widening. For a moment she'd thought it was Kurama, but now she could see he, it, wasn't. This person was taller than Kurama, had long silver hair, and were those fox ears and a tail? Chloe swallowed hard, crawling forward. "Hey, mister.." She gingerly reached forward and poked their back once. Nothing.

She cautiously grabbed their shoulder and pulled them over onto their back. When she pulled her hand back it was covered in something dark and sticky. "Hey, wake up." She shook him gently, afraid of worsening his injuries but knowing she wasn't going to be able to carry him all the way back to the tavern by herself.

"I'll be back, I promise." She took her jacket off and laid it over him, getting to her feet and sprinting for the tavern. She hesitated on the steps; Carmen was probably still at the stadium. She turned and headed for it. It was mostly deserted. She saw a few demons turn to look at her curiously, but she didn't pay them any mind. She managed to find Carmen's door and pushed it open without even knocking. "Carmen!" She wheezed, leaning against the door as she tried to catch her breath.

Carmen was sitting on the table as the medics finished tying the bandages that were wrapped up and down her torso. "I'm fine now. Leave us." Carmen waited till they had cleared out before she spoke. "What's wrong Chloe?" She went to her bag and rummaged for a loose-fitting shirt.

"He's hurt..bad.." Chloe coughed, gulping in a few deep breaths of air.

"Who's hurt?" Carmen carefully pulled the shirt on, her face carefully arranged to hide the pain this was causing her.

"I..I don't know. He looks like Kurama, but…he's different…but I don't know who else it could be."

"Tall, fox ears and tail?" Carmen was cursing the crappy luck she had that tonight of all nights she had to go clean up somebody else's mess.

Chloe nodded, finally letting go of the door.

"Show me." Carmen herded her out of the door and clicked it shut behind herself. "And why is your shirt torn?"

"We were attacked." Chloe forced her tired legs to run again. Carmen jogged next to her, glad for the dark here to hide the winces of pain that she couldn't hide. "By who? How many were there?"

"Just one. I don't know who he is, but he wanted to medallion piece and he knew I had it."

"Have you seen him before? What did he look like?"

"I ran into him two back in my world. He was kinda creepy, but I didn't know…well, any, he's tall, has black hair, and the strangest orange eyes."

Carmen nearly choked. "Dark, orange eyes?"

"Yeah. How did-"

"Never you mind. Where is Kurama?"

"Around this corner."

They turned down the alley and were by him within moments. "This is Kurama alright." Carmen pushed Chloe's jacket off, her demon eyes able to see better than Chloe's in the dark. "Shoot, he's in bad condition." She slapped his cheek. "Wake up Kurama. Come on." She opened one of his eyelids, her jaw tightening at whatever she saw. "Chloe, put your jacket back on and zip it up. Then help me. We need to get him back to the tavern." She pulled him into a sitting position the pulled his arm around her shoulder. Once Chloe mirrored her on the other side they both struggled to their feet. Carmen staggered, barely keeping herself from falling over as pain exploded in her chest. She took a few deep breaths, waiting for the pain to ebb before starting to walk.

"Are you okay Carmen?" Chloe asked worriedly, struggling under the dead weight.

"Dandy. Just focus on getting him to the tavern." Carmen took as much of Kurama's weight as she could, though it made the pain in her chest worse. Finally they made it back to the rooms and into Kurama's bedroom. They got him onto the bed and Carmen started lighting the lamps. "Go get me hot water, towels, and bandages."

…

Chloe watched silently as Carmen cleaned all his wounds and bandaged them. "How is it possible that this, he, is Kurama? This is a completely different person." She finally asked when Carmen pulled the sheets up.

Carmen leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Kurama is actually two souls – a human soul, Shuiichi Minamino, and a demon soul, Yoko Kurama. When Kurama was a demon he was being chased and his only chance of survival was to place his soul into a human woman's unborn baby. Over time their souls fused and now they are one and the same. This is the demon form. Satisfied?" Carmen pushed herself to her feet. "Be sure to take care of the water and towels."

"Wait. How come he isn't waking up?"

Carmen paused, her hand on the doorknob. "I'm not sure yet. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing concrete yet." She left quickly for fear that Chloe would have yet another question.

Chloe moved to Carmen's vacated chair, scooting it close to the bed. Gently she reached out and slid her hand under his. "I…I don't know if you can hear me. I hope not. But if you really are Kurama, and Carmen says you are, then...then I want to tell you something. I-I've been in love with you ever since I can remember. Since I was little the only person I've ever thought about has been you. With everything that has been happening I was a little unsure of my feelings, but tonight when we were walking I- .. I can't explain. I just…knew."

…

Carmen sat cross-legged in front of her fire, eyes closed. If Kurama was this beat up, why did the orange-eyed demon leave? Why wasn't Kurama waking up? Why didn't Chloe remember what had happened? These and a million other questions simmered on the back burner of her mind. Her jaw moved back and forth as she worked it over in her mind. Kurama must have put up one hell of a fight to be both this beat up AND in his Yoko form. The orange-eyed demon must be in about as bad condition – that thought made her smile a little.

"What did you do to Kurama…" She murmured, the fire sinking lower under the oppressiveness of her aura. Suddenly her yellow eyes popped open and the fire roared back to life. She pulled her shirt off. The wound on her shoulder from the assassins was still black, but slightly more healed. Hints of red were beginning to peek through the bandages around her chest.

"Dammit. I can't be that careless next time." She stood with some trouble and moved to the bed, laying down flat on her back. The fire died down again and a yellow glow began swirling around her body.

…

Chloe woke slowly. Her neck and back ached from sleeping hunched over onto Kurama's bed. She let go of his hand and stretched, yawning tiredly. She rubbed her eyes, blinking them back open to look at him. He was still there, bandaged and sleeping, exactly the same as last night. "Why won't you wake up? You don't have any bumps on your head." Chloe sighed.

There was a certain similarity to human Kurama, but frankly she still didn't entirely understand how they could be the same person.

"How is he today?" Carmen stepped through the door, dressed in a green sweater and white jeans.

Chloe looked up at her and shrugged. "The same."

Carmen opened the door. "Go get cleaned up and eat some food. Eric's downstairs cooking. Make sure Haru eats something too. Don't come back in here until I come get you."

Chloe took one more look at Kurama and left; Carmen shut the door behind her and locked it. Chloe took one step away and froze. "H-haru!" He was leaning in his doorway, watching her.

"What's going on?" He shut his door and came over to her.

For once she couldn't tell if her was upset or not. "Um.." She glanced back at the door. "We were attacked, Kurama and I, after the fights yesterday."

"Are you okay?" Haru grabbed her arms, concern shining in his eyes.

Chloe nodded, suddenly very aware of the burn on her chest. "Yeah I'm fine. But Kurama- he's not doing so good." She left the part of him being a demon now out – Haru would not like that at all. Haru wrapped his arms around her. "He'll be alright, you'll see."

Chloe leaned against him, closing her eyes. "He kissed me last night."

Haru pulled back. "Come again?"

"I guess technically I kissed him first, but he kissed me back…before we were attacked." She blushed. "We were talking and then it just…happened." She couldn't help smiling as she remembered the feeling of kissing him, the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, holding her tight.

Haru forced a smile on his lips. "Good for you. I know you've been waiting for this for forever." He chuckled, hugging her again. "I'm glad you're happy. Now go get washed up so we can eat, I'm starving."

"I'll wash after I eat."

Haru raised an eyebrow, letting go of her, making a face. "Yeah, uh, I'd do it before. You remember how you're always telling me your hair looks like mud and I always say it doesn't?" At her nod he continued. "Right now you win."

Chloe's jaw dropped and she punched his arm. "You jerk. Fine, I'll go wash." She stuck her tongue out and went into her bedroom.

Haru kept smiling until she shut the door. He ran a hand through his blonde hair with a sigh. Any hope he'd had- ah well, she was happy, and that was all that mattered.

…

Carmen leaned back in the chair, staring at Kurama without really seeing. His soul was gone; it wasn't in his body. That meant He had it. He must have taken it during or after the fight. To what end? Did he hope to trade it for Chloe's piece? But that didn't make much sense because that would still only be one piece, one small piece of the medallion. It was pretty much useless, so what did he hope to achieve with it? "You're a fool if you think one of the other contestants is going to beat me. They'd have to be above my level in both skill and brains to have a hope of beating me, and there is not a one of those out there." Carmen went downstairs and sat down next to Chloe. "Eric, have you seen an orange-eyed stranger around these parts recently?"

Eric set a steaming plate of food in front of her. "Yeah sure, he was in here the night before last. Strange fellow. He was asking about you guys. I told him I didn't know you, but said I'd keep an eye out for you and give him a holler if you showed up." He winked.

Carmen laughed, digging into her food. "You're amazing Eric. How are you supposed to get in touch with him?"

"He left a communicator." Eric tossed it to her and began whistling as he wiped down the bar.

Haru and Chloe looked at Carmen. "What's going on?" The both asked in unison.

Carmen looked between the two of them. "I know who the man that attacked you last night is and I also know what he did to Kurama."

"What are you going to do?" Chloe asked, remembering how terrifying the stranger was.

Carmen smirked, swallowing a bite of food. "Call him. Now both of you be silent." She flipped the device open and waited.

"I'm no longer in need of your ser- Carmen."

Carmen smiled unpleasantly at him. "Hello Alexander. Long time no see."

He laughed. "Too long Carmen, too long. What can I do for you?"

"You can return Kurama's soul."

"Of course. So long as you give me the piece hanging around Chloe's neck."

Carmen shook her head. "Not gonna happen. Release his soul or I will end you."

Alexander sighed. "You can't find me, so you have no way of killing me. Besides, even if you did manage to beat me you'd certainly lose your match tomorrow and then someone else would win the tournament and the medallion."

It was Carmen's turn to laugh. "You think I can't find you? I already know where you are. I'm just giving you a chance to keep living unharmed for a while longer."

"If you knew where I was you would have come here in person."

Carmen smiled. She could detect the smallest hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Why go to all that bother when we can settle this long-distance? You have thirty minutes." She turned it off.

"What now?" Haru asked, squeezing Chloe's hand.

Carmen started eating her food again. "We wait."


	12. Pushing The Edge

A/N: I'm working really hard to get chapters out to finish the story. Enjoy!

* * *

Chloe tapped her fingers nervously, glancing at Carmen for the hundredth time. "How long has it been?" She asked finally.

Carmen didn't look up from braiding her hair. "I answered that two minutes ago. It's only been ten minutes."

"How will we know if he did it or not?"

Carmen sighed exasperatedly. "Kurama will wake up. Stop fretting Chloe. We'll know when we know." Chloe bit her lip. "Wh-what if he doesn't do it?" Carmen looked at Chloe's worried eyes, and almost felt compassion for her. "Then I'll go track the bastard down."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What about the tournament?"

Carmen glared at Chloe. "I don't fight until tomorrow. Stop asking so many questions. Go eat an apple or bother Haru or something. Shoo." She made shooing motions with her hands. Chloe started to protest, but a look from Carmen sent her scurrying for the stairs. "You'll tell me if-" "GO."

"How is he?"

Chloe jumped at Haru's voice next to her. "You scared me!" She came onto the landing, a hand to her chest; Haru chuckled. "That's not hard to do." She glared at him. "Yeah yeah. He's the same. What if Alexander doesn't release Kurama's soul? .. That just sounds so weird." She shook her head.

Haru shrugged. "I don't know. I guess Carmen will have to go get it."

"But what if she is so injured that she loses the tournament, or can't even fight in the tournament? What then?"

Haru sighed. "Chloe, listen to me. All these 'what if's aren't doing anybody any good. I may not trust Carmen personally, but I think we've seen enough to know that she knows what she's doing. Besides, she knows more about demon politics than either of us do." He patted her shoulder. "Stop your worrying. It's only gonna stress you out further."

"I know…" Chloe hung her head. "I can't seem to help it. My mind just keeps going and going.."

Downstairs Eric came and sat with Carmen, handing her a glass of ice and pouring a dark liquid out of a green bottle. "What's this?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, raising it to her lips. She took a tiny sip, savoring it's flavor. "It tastes like scotch."

Eric smiled. "Very astute. It is similar to scotch, but much stronger. It's my own blend. Do you like it?"

Carmen nodded approvingly. "It's great. Now that you've got me drinking go ahead and ask your questions." Eric chuckled. "That obvious? Okay, what _are_ you going to do when the time runs out?"

Carmen swirled another sip in her mouth and swallowed. "I don't know. I can't wait for my fight because Chloe will be dead or Alexander will be long gone. I daren't fight him before my match because I'll lose the tournament." She clenched her jaw, then relaxed and took another sip. "It's a damn sticky mess I've been put in. If Chloe had just told me that he was- well, it's done."

"Don't take this wrong, but why are you doing this?" Eric took a sip himself. He did love his creation.

Carmen thought for a minute. "Sometimes I don't know why the hell I'm doing this. I guess my damnable sense of pride and duty won't let me turn my back."

"Even when it's against your brother?"

Carmen froze with the glass to her lips. "He's been dead to me for a long time." There was venom in her voice.

"How long has it been since you saw him?"

Carmen took a large drink. "Since the last time he tried to kill me." Carmen put her glass down – it was empty. Eric leaned over and refilled it. "That time in Otara?" Carmen shook her head. "No, he tracked me down in the human world a few years after that."

"So your honor dictates that you save Kurama, but it is your brother you will have to face. So what are you going to do?"

Carmen took a sip. Suddenly she sat up straight. "If I were to ask you to hide this place for a couple of days what would you say?" Eric sighed. "You know I'd do it for you. What are you going to do?" Carmen smirked and drained her glass before standing up. "I'm gonna go fight. Tell Chloe to stay here, no matter what; keep an eye on Kurama and wait for me.

…

Chloe paced back and forth in Kurama's room. It had been two days – two days! Not a word from Carmen. And all the doors and windows were locked up tight, so they were trapped in here. 'I'm going stir crazy!' She sighed and went to the window for the umpteenth time. There had been no change in Kurama. No good change at least. He seemed paler than before, but she couldn't be sure. She'd barely slept herself.

Then she saw something, or rather, some_one_. "Carmen!" She squealed, bolting out the room and down the stairs. Eric looked up from cleaning glasses behind the bar as she came stomping down the stairs. "Slow down. What did you see?"

"I saw Carmen. Open the door!"

"Eric it's me, open up."

Eric approached the door slowly, silently. He motioned for Chloe to be silent and waited.

"Eric, please, I'm injured. I don't have time for games."

Eric still didn't move a muscle. Chloe opened her mouth to speak but Eric was beside her and his hand was over her mouth before she could make a sound. She stared up at him wide-eyed, unsure of what his strange behavior indicated.

Suddenly there was a string of curses – but it was no longer Carmen's voice; it was the orange-eyed man, Alexander's voice. "You may as well give up now. I've killed Carmen." When nothing happened there were more muttered curses, but the voice got gradually fainter. Finally Eric went back to the window and looked out.

"Wh-what just happened?" Chloe sank into one of the chairs.

"Alexander was hoping to trick me into revealing this place. I could protect all of you against a swarm of demons, but against the likes of him.." He shook his head.

"Why is he so different?" Chloe asked, curious of why he was so terrifying.

Eric waved it off. "Ask Carmen. It's not my story to tell."

"What if she doesn't come back?" Chloe couldn't hide the fear in her brown eyes. "What if Alexander really did kill her? What will we do then?"

Eric returned to the glasses and started cleaning them once again. "If there's anything I've learned about Carmen over the years it's never to underestimate Carmen. She knows how to take care of herself."

"But-"

"Listen to me young miss. Come hell or high water Carmen will find a way back here, even if it meant selling her soul to the devil himself or bleeding out on those steps out front. If you're gonna believe something, believe that. Carmen will come back as soon as she's able. So relax, go distract Haru, whatever. Stop sitting around fretting."

Chloe got up grudgingly and went upstairs and knocked on Haru's door. "Haru?" She pushed it open, cautiously peering inside. He was standing in front of his window, staring out. "Haru?" She repeated, clicking the door shut behind her. She reached out and touched his shoulder. He stirred from his reverie finally and looked at her.

"Chloe. Hey." He blinked. Chloe could tell he'd been some place far away. "What were you thinking about?"

Haru sighed and wrapped his arms around her. He'd been thinking about the river goddess. Something had happened to him there, he could feel it – something was off. And he couldn't seem to get her out of his head. But he didn't want to tell Chloe that. "Nothing. I wasn't really thinking about anything." He rested his chin on her head. Chloe giggled. "You're a horrible liar, you know that? But fine, don't tell me." She would have pulled away, but for some reason she could tell Haru didn't want to let her go.

"Are you two gonna stand there all day?"

Chloe whirled around. "Carmen!" She exclaimed, leaping over and throwing her arms around the demoness. Carmen took a step back to steady herself. "Are you done?" She asked dryly, untangling the girl's arms from her torso. "You'd think I came back from the dead or something."

"For all we knew you _were_ dead!" Chloe smiled broadly.

Carmen straightened her jacket. "I said I'd be back. Besides, I've got a fight tomorrow. You didn't think I'd miss that, did you?" She turned. "Let's go give the breath of life to your boyfriend, as it were." Chloe blushed but followed her into Kurama's room.

The green-haired demoness pulled a small, glowing glass ball out of her pocket and held it in her open palm. She muttered a few strange words and then tapped the ball with her nail. A crack appeared and the light seemed to squeeze out of the crack and disappeared into Kurama's body. Chloe watched in amazement as his whole body seemed to glow, but then the light seemed to begin leaving his body again and heading for the ball.

"Smash this." Carmen tossed Chloe the glass and bent over Kurama, placing a hand on his chest.

"What's happening?" Chloe asked, worry gnawing at her stomach.

"Stupid bastard placed a binding spell on his soul." Carmen closed her eyes and her lips started moving again, her other hand performing strange movements close to her chest. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. It disappeared as quick as it had come. Chloe blinked as her eyes tried to adjust. "Look!" She exclaimed.

Carmen didn't need to look. She could feel Kurama's breathing and heart rate grow stronger beneath her fingers. "Welcome ba-ahck!"

Yoko's hand squeezed her throat tightly, constricting her air flow painfully.

"Carmen!" Chloe exclaimed, jerking in shock.

Carmen grabbed Yoko's wrist, trying to pull it off. "I'm. helping. You!" She gasped.

His yellow eyes opened suddenly and his grip relaxed. "Where's the scum I was fighting?" He demanded, sitting up only to hunch over in pain.

Carmen took a step back, rubbing her throat. "He ripped your soul from your body at some point during or after the fight."

"That's impossible. No demon is strong enough to rip my soul from my body."

Carmen just grunted before turning to Chloe. "I'll smash it." She took the glass ball from the stunned girl and left, taking one quick peek back before shutting the door.

Chloe just stared at Yoko, hunched over on the bed. "H-how do you feel?" She asked finally, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. "Like hell." He responded grumpily, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

"I'm not so sure you should…whoa…" Chloe tilted her head back, swallowing a little when she saw just how tall he was. She unconsciously took a step back, intimidated by his size as he stood up.

"Are you afraid of me?"

Chloe choked a little. "Wh-what?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of me?"

Chloe's heart pounded in her chest. "I-I don't know. Maybe a little." She swallowed hard. He looked down at her with his unreadable yellow gaze. "There is no need. I would never harm you." He saw her relax ever so slightly. "I know I look different, but I am, essentially, Shuiichi Minamino. Think of this as just a different side of me." She still didn't look convinced. Yoko sighed. "I was a demon before I joined with Shuiichi. I was dying, so to save myself my soul joined with the unborn child of a human woman. Over time our two souls fused together so now we are one and the same."

Chloe's face looked pensive as she thought about it. After everything she'd been forced to accept lately though... this didn't really seem out of the realm of possibility. "Okay." She said finally. Even as she spoke he seemed to change before her eyes, getting shorter and his hair turning red. In a matter of moments the Kurama she was used to now stood before her.

"You're alright!" She threw her arms around him.

He winced in pain but made no noise. His body hadn't entirely healed while his soul had been gone. "Yes I'm fine Chloe." He kept any sign of pain out of his voice and patted her back. "Let me go talk to Carmen for a minute, okay? Why don't you go tell Haru what's happened. And Chloe?" He looked back at her from the door. "Don't tell him about Yoko."

Carmen poured another small glass of Eric's jazzed up scotch, lifted it to her lips, and drained it. Her face scrunched and she took a deep breath. She pulled her jacket off, cursing at the blood stains on the inside. There was dried blood all over her arms and various blood stains on her clothes. She filled the glass and downed it again.

"You are going to explain everything to me, right now."

Carmen paused in the act of lifting yet another glass to her lips. "I'm not going to explain any more than is necessary." She drained that one as well and poured another. Kurama came beside, his green eyes dark and angry. "I know you know a lot more than you're telling, especially as relates to the man that attacked Chloe and I. Now tell me."

Carmen swirled the scotch in the glass, debating for a moment. "He's my brother." She said finally, picking up the glass. Kurama pushed it back down. "And?"

Carmen sighed. "And he wants to kill me. Failing that he just wants to make my life miserable by messing up anything I'm involved in. So he's going after the medallion and Chloe." She lifted the glass to her lips.

"You selfish bitch." All his frustration and anger at Carmen welled up in him all at once and without even thinking his fist had moved of its own accord, connecting squarely with Carmen's jaw. The glass shattered. Carmen crashed into a table but grabbed it in time to keep from falling to the floor. She spit some blood out of her mouth and a growl rose in the back of her throat. "That was stupid Kurama. I'm in the mood to fight and you just gave me a reason to." She launched and barreled into him, which sent them both crashing into another table, which sent the chairs scattering.

"You three have been ungrateful, distrustful annoyances!" She hissed, kicking him off and leaping to her feet. "Your reputation doesn't give us a reason to trust you.." Kurama hopped into a fighting stance facing her. Carmen's yellow eyes narrowed. "I have done nothing to break your trust through this whole ordeal."

"You manipulated Chloe into helping, and through her me."

Carmen snorted derisively. "Cry me a river. You think I wanted to do any of this? This is a whole heap of trouble I didn't need."

"You don't do anything unless it benefits you!" Kurama threw a chair in her face and followed up with a punch. Carmen didn't bother blocking. She let both the chair and the punch hit, full force. She staggered back against the bar, blood dripping from her mouth and split lip onto the floor. "Yes Kurama, I did this for myself." She ripped her shirt off and dropped it to the floor.

Kurama paused. It looked like she'd been dragged across a barbed-wire fence. When she turned her back looked similar. She had a bandage wrapped around her waist, and in the back it was completely soaked through with blood. Without hesitation she reached down, tore it, and let it drop to the floor. A deep gash ran across her lower back, so deep it was still bleeding.

"Yes, I'm a selfish bitch. A selfish bitch who nearly died to return your soul to your body." She spat, her angry yellow eyes turned on him once again.

Kurama felt his anger slipping. "You only did that so I could watch Chloe while you fight in the tournament." He shot back, trying not to let the gruesomeness of her injuries get to him. Carmen snorted again. "I don't need you for that. I would just leave her here."

Kurama straightened up, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Let's call a truce. Let me sew that up."

"Like I'd let you lay a hand on me now." Carmen spat more blood out of her mouth and went back around the bar, picking up the bottle of scotch and beginning to down more. "You guys are the ones who shouldn't be trusted." She slammed the bottle down, just soft enough to not break it. "Every chance you get one of you is running off, or going behind my back, or trying to fight me. I have done nothing but protect every single one of you! And that's the thanks I get? Deceit and mistrust? You know nothing about me so stop thinking you have me figured out." Carmen's eyes flamed again and she downed the rest of the bottle.

"You can't reach your back Carmen, and that wound is still bleeding. Let me help you." Kurama had the feeling maybe he'd misjudged Carmen. He still didn't agree with her methods, but perhaps the hearsay about her had been wrong.

"To hell with you." Carmen threw the bottle across the room and it smashed against the wall. She grabbed another bottle and walked stiffly over to the door to the back, where Eric's room was. "Eric? I need a patch.." She disappeared through the door.

Kurama picked up the chairs and the table, setting them back in their places. Well he'd screwed that up. How long had it been since he lost his temper like that?

_'I think I'm rubbing off on you.'_ Came Yoko's voice.

Kurama didn't bother answering, merely began sweeping up the glass from the bottle and Carmen's glass. Carmen was royally pissed off, and he wasn't sure he could blame her. Then again he wasn't sure he wasn't in the right. Reputations were born somewhere in truth, and Carmen was so secretive and unpredictable it was impossible to guess her true motives.

….

"Are all the battles this..gory?" Haru turned away from the arena, disgusted; seeing someone literally turned inside-out had not been on his list of things to see before he died. Chloe nodded, her eyes examining her hands intently. "That's why I don't watch."

Haru shrugged, watching as the body was cremated on the spot by a couple of fire demons. This whole tournament was run with business precision, it was kind of creepy.

"Hey guys." Eric sat down next to Haru, sending a lazy smile to all three.

"What brings you here?" Kurama asked, his eyes on the arena as Carmen strutted out. She was barefoot again, clad in a white dress that showed her whole back. His eyebrow quirked slightly –he could see no blemish on her skin. She couldn't have recovered that quickly since yesterday. Unless..

"Just came to see Carmen fight."

..she was sending a message to the man she'd fought the last two days. She'd probably just concealed the remainder of the injuries to show that she could not be beaten and was fit as a fiddle.

At first nothing happened. Carmen stared at her opponent, her opponent stared at her. Suddenly Carmen felt the ground growing cold and damp beneath her feet. "Shoot." She bolted for edge of the arena. She hadn't gone more than five steps before suddenly she was engulfed; the entire arena had flooded in a matter of moments and was rising.

Suddenly Chloe saw glass walls rising from the ground next to the arena boundaries. "What are they doing?" She leaned over and whispered in Kurama's ear.

"Keeping the water contained so he doesn't flood the stadium."

As the glass rose the water rose as well, staying no less than a foot beneath the edge. The water demon floated on top, blue eyes focused on Carmen's struggling form beneath the surface. Suddenly her head broke the surface. She swam strongly towards the water demon, but suddenly the water twisted and she rolled back under, caught in a rapidly spinning ball of water. The water demon started running along the surface in a circle, getting faster and faster.

"What's he doing?" Chloe asked, anxiously clutching both Kurama and Haru's hands. "He's creating a whirlpool." Haru answered quietly.

"If he succeeds in finishing it she's done for." Eric spoke suddenly, his jaw tight.

Kurama leaned down to Chloe's ear so only she heard. "If this ends badly, be ready to run."

Chloe's eyes widened and she felt her heart speed up. 'Don't lose Carmen, don't lose!'

Just as the demon made a third pass Carmen's hand shot up out of the water and grabbed his foot. When he pulled she used a boost of demon power to fling herself out of the water and up onto the edge of the glass. She clung there, dripping wet and shivering. The water was colder than a glacier and stabbed worse than a thousand knives. Her fight with Alexander had taken so much out of her, she'd been fighting so long…what if she just forfeited? Her eyes drifted over the crowd, suddenly stopping on Eric, Haru, Chloe..and Kurama. Chloe trusted her so much and still didn't hate her for treating her so badly. And Kurama…the bastard had seem more of her than she'd let anyone in a thousand years see of her. He was just starting to trust her, a tiny bit. She couldn't let them down.

Carmen's eyes snapped back onto the water demon, who was hastily starting the whirlpool again and making the water rise even further. "You fool!" Carmen shouted, straightening up. Her back, which was not fully healed, spasmed, but she forced herself to bear through it. "You might have had a chance if you had hidden your hand longer, but now you're done – I know your cards!" She glanced up at the sky the launched herself off the glance. She collided head-first with the demon, sending them both crashing under the surface of the water.

Kurama looked up at the sky. A storm was brewing, unbelievably quickly. A thunderstorm? Suddenly he knew what she was doing. "Get out of there Carmen…" He muttered, looking nervously at the storm clouds.

Suddenly a head of green hair broke the surface, swimming strongly for the wall. Carmen kicked hard, glancing up at the sky several times. Perk of this trick was that the storm was there in a matter of minutes. Bad part was that once you started it it was nearly impossible to reverse, so you better not change your mind. Just as suddenly as she'd appeared she disappeared, pulled under once more by the water demon.

The storm was now almost all gathered and made its presence known to the crowd with a loud roll of thunder. Half the contestants jumped and the water reverberated. Carmen knew that was her cue to be out of the water. She landed a heavy kick to her opponents throat and let the current sweep her away. She kicked at the appropriate moment and thrust her claws into the glass, effectively keeping her in place. She gave a mighty heave coupled with some demon-powered kicks and shot out of the water, just managing to grab the edge of the glass. She pulled herself up and leapt, hurtling down into the crowd just as a huge bolt of lightning touched down on the water.

These events happened simultaneously and so quickly that Chloe didn't have a chance to see Carmen escape. She just saw the lightning hit. "CARMEN!"


	13. Kicking Down a Door

A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. Life got really busy for a while. I'm trying to tie this story up, I promise. Anyway, here you go!

* * *

Chloe felt a great sadness wash over her. No..Carmen couldn't be dead…

The water evaporated, leaving the dead water demon in the center of the arena. The glass walls came down and a silence hung in the air. Kurama glanced at Haru. The quickest way out of here-

"Look!" Someone shouted and pointed to the left.

Carmen detangled herself from the bleachers and leapt back into the arena. She landed five paces from her dead opponent on one knee. The crowd started cheering.

Chloe leapt to her feet, yelling along with everyone else. "Carmen! Carmen!" She felt such a rush of relief that tears pricked at her eyes. Carmen was alright! Despite everything Carmen was like…was like a sister, even a friend on her good days. She clasped her hands to her chest, grinning from ear to ear.

Kurama relaxed a little and leaned back in his seat. One more fight and this might all be over. If Carmen died he'd take Chloe to Spirit World along with the shard – no one would get the medallion. If Carmen won he'd turn both her and the medallion over to Spirit World. Either way it was a win-win situation. He felt a tug at his conscience. Chloe would hate him if he turned Carmen over to Spirit World. But he couldn't just let her go free…could he?

Haru watched Chloe jump up and down. Even after everything she still loved Carmen so much and would be truly sad if anything happened to her. He shook his head. That girl was probably the best person he'd ever known.

Carmen straightened up, touching her forehead as a sign of respect to the deceased. Then she grinned and waved to the crowd as she walked through her doors. She stopped by the medic station so they could check her out. If she and whoever had won the match before hers were both okayed the final battle would be fought in fifteen minutes.

"Nothing too serious. You're fine to fight."

Carmen hopped off the table and exited the doors. She was still shaking from the cold water, but she was warming up. She changed her clothes quickly and headed into the stands. "Chloe! Eric!" She skipped over to them dressed in a dark purple dress, still barefoot.

Chloe hugged her tightly. "You had me scared!"

Carmen chuckled. "Psh I had it all under control."

"That was some trick, summoning that storm." Kurama spoke up, his eyes piercing. Carmen laughed and detangled herself from Chloe. "Magic fingers." She wiggled her fingers and leaned back against the seats ahead of them. "So who is the other finalist?"

Chloe sat back down, leaning her head on Kurama's shoulder. "He's pretty awful."

Carmen snorted. "I figured as much. What's his name?"

"Yoi." Kurama watched her face to see if she recognized the name. She quirked an eyebrow then snorted. "Oh, Yoi. No worries then. I've fought him before. Nothing I can't handle."

'There's something not right about her. She bests A-class demons like they were nothing, beats S-class, worse for wear but nothing serious, and can summon thunderstorms with the snap of a finger? It's impossible.'

'_Perhaps a goddess of some kind? Legend has it-'_

'Those are legends. There has never been any evidence for them.'

'_Doesn't mean they're not true…'_

Kurama felt a little disconcerted by Yoko's thinking – mostly because he was afraid he might be right. If that were true, then Carmen might be an even bigger problem than he had thought.

'_Or a bigger ally.'_

Kurama nearly frowned but caught himself before he did so. Yoko might be right. Somehow he needed to get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately, Carmen was the only hope of finding out this information.

"How did you get so powerful?" Chloe asked suddenly.

"Oops, time for me to go." Carmen stood and walked away. "See you when it's over!"

Chloe furrowed her brow. It was infuriating how frequently Carmen did that. Why couldn't she ever just answer a stupid question? But no, she preferred to be all secretive and mysterious. It was enough to drive a person insane! She clenched her jaw. She felt so naïve and blind all the time, but nobody would tell her anything! Haru knew way more than he should, Kurama only told her what he thought she needed to know, and Carmen only answered questions when the mood suited her! And as for defending herself…Chloe looked down at her hands. She was less than useless. She couldn't even defend herself against humans. Why had Carmen chosen someone like her to hold onto the shard?

She was suddenly very aware of the cool metal on her chest, and the burn.. Unconsciously she put a hand to her chest and gently rubbed. What on earth had caused that? She still had no memories of what had happened once Alexander had shown up.

"Are you alright?" Haru whispered in her ear, trying to catch her eye.

She jerked a little and looked at him. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She dropped her hand and looked at the arena.

Kurama squeezed her hand. "She'll be fine." Chloe could only pray he was right.

Carmen strode out of the double-doors to cheering from the crowd. She caught Chloe's eye and winked, doing a front flip for fun. The doors opposite her opened and from thence issued Yoi. Yoi was very short, barely passing the four foot mark. He was bald and had intense red eyes. His attire was black, simple, but with elegant silver patterns embroidered all over. He bowed to Carmen.

She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head back at him. He wasn't this respectful or polite unless he thought he had the upper hand. Her eyes narrowed and she crouched slightly. 'It's fine. He's a long-distance fighter. Just keep things close and it's a sure win.' She launched herself at him, yellow eyes gleaming, claws and fangs bared.

-schwing!-

She yelped and rolled away from him. A thin red line appeared down the outside of her arm, blood slowly bubbling out. She glared at Yoi, who now held a small knife in each hand. "Touch́e." She was pleased to note a slice of red appear on his cheek.

'Don't fall for it.' Kurama kept his mouth shut, but a part of him wished they had warned Carmen of Yoi's apparent new trick.

Carmen circled slowly, her face unreadable. She looked straight at Yoi and sniffed the air a few times. "You smell like..the inside of a stomach. Is that your new game?" She smirked. "Too bad for you I've seen it before." She launched again, this time grabbing a handful of dirt on the way.

She tossed the dirt straight up just before she closed the distance. She grabbed his wrists just before they collided and plunged the knives straight into her sides. Yoi kicked her off and she back-flipped away. Yoi stood, blood dripping from his knives. "For being tho thmart, you are really thtupid." He lisped, unable to contain his smirk.

Carmen laughed, dipping her fingers in her blood and drawing symbols on her skin. "I'm sorry Yoi. You are an interesting fighter, but I don't have time to play – I only have time to win." Yoi dropped the knives and threw a hand forward, his other close to his chest and hurriedly forming symbols. Carmen let out a yell as she felt the skin on her left arm literally beginning to peel off. Lacking a better option she drove one claw into her left palm and carved a symbol.

Yoi's brows furrowed as his attack stopped working. "Impothible! There is no defenthe against that!" He shouted, channeling more aura as he tried to continue.

Carmen leapt at him, her bloody fist pounding his chest. They exchanged blow after blow, neither one willing to back down or lose any ground.

'She's losing a lot of blood. Why doesn't she just end this?'

'_She's trying not to appear as powerful as I think she is.'_

Carmen thought quickly. She wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer. The best way out? She left an opening, bracing just before his fist met with her stomach. She grabbed his wrist and plunged her hand into his chest. She saw his eyes widen as her fingers wrap around his heart. "I'm sorry." She whispered, yanking it. His eyes went blank and he collapsed onto her. Carmen laid him on the ground, closing her eyes a moment out of respect. She stood up, both arms covered and dripping with blood, not even smiling as the announcer suddenly boomed out "Carmen has defeated Yoi. Carmen is the winner of the Black Tournament!"

She still didn't smile when the crowd started cheering again. Her yellows landed on a small demoness with white hair and red eyes – Yoi's mate, along with their child. The look of pain and horror on the woman's face made Carmen's stomach revolt. She hadn't intended to kill Yoi – she knew he had a mate he had loved dearly and a child he doted on. That stupid new attack of his…She'd intended to bring him near enough to knock him out, not.. She turned on her heel and strode towards her door, her face blank.

Chloe put a hand to her mouth, swallowing hard as she felt a queasiness rising. Carmen's arm, then Yoi's heart… She closed her eyes, trying not to think about it anymore. Kurama patted her back. He watched as Carmen walked towards the doors, leaving a trail of blood behind her. He'd seen the look on her face. He didn't know exactly why, but this particular opponents death had sickened her for some reason. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator. In a matter of minutes they would award the medallion in its entirety to Carmen. He'd fulfilled his end of the bargain, now it was safe to turn her in.

But he was torn. On the one hand he felt bad after everything she'd done for them. Then again she'd had to do it because of everything she'd done TO them in the first place. He set his jaw and pushed the communicator back in his pocket. He'd wait till she could be taken quietly away, someplace where Chloe needn't see. If she didn't know it was him, she wouldn't hate him for turning Carmen in. A little white lie might be necessary, but it would be for her own good.

"Get back out here Carmen. You've won yourself the completed medallion!"

Chloe was again acutely aware of the piece of metal hanging around her neck. Why had Carmen told them it was complete when it wasn't?

Carmen marched out and took the box, not a hint of a smile on her face.

"She's not in a good mood…" Eric muttered, stretching.

Suddenly six men leapt into the arena, hands raised, encircling Carmen. She looked at each of them, an eyebrow raised.

"Carmen, for crimes against humans and against Spirit World, for theft, for murder, and for treason, you are hereby placed under arrest!"

A rampage started as demons fled for the exits. Kurama grabbed Chloe and pulled her to himself, pushing away any demons who got too close. "What's happening?" Chloe shouted. Kurama didn't bother answering – he didn't know. He hadn't called Spirit World. He glanced down to the arena.

Carmen forced both arms up, despite one being half peeled. "I don't want to fight you boys. There's no need for bloodshed. I'm not going with you and I'll kill you before you take me, so you may as well just go report _that_ to Koenma." They responded by slowly moving in.

"Listen to me! I need to destroy this medallion. It's not safe anywhere!"

"That is Spirit World property. Destroying it is a crime!"

Carmen laughed. "So? I've committed a hundred crimes already! What's one more?"

Chloe pushed at Kurama. "Help her!" She pleaded. Kurama shook his head; he didn't dare fight Spirit World, especially about Carmen. He glanced at Haru, pausing when he caught a glimpse of a strange look on the boy's face. Haru was looking down at the scene in the arena, not smiling, yet somehow seeming…pleased, if that was the right word.

Eric muttered a string of curses and started down, jumping over seats and knocking demons left and right. He paused a couple rows up, ducked down, and peeked between the seats. He blew slowly and the wind started swirling around Carmen. She smirked and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Spread out. Find her!"

"Come on." Kurama grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her behind him into the hallways. "We need to get out of here."

"No!" Chloe tugged at her hand, trying to free herself. "We have to help Carmen!"

"Carmen's a lost cause! She deserves it after everything she's done to us."

Chloe pulled her hand out of his grasp angrily. "She's saved both our lives multiple times. So she makes some mistakes – so what? You've never made a mistake? I'm going to help her!" She turned and ran up the hallway, against the flow of demons. Haru caught up with him finally; he'd gotten stuck behind a group of demons. "Where's Chloe?" He shouted.

Kurama didn't answer for a moment. "Go back to the tavern." Somehow his voice carried over the noise. He took off after her, sticking close to the wall to make the trek easier. He spotted Chloe's brown hair just as it disappeared into Carmen's room.

"Carmen?" Chloe pushed open the door, relieved to see Carmen standing by the table, the box open in front of her.

"Give me your piece, quick!" Carmen hissed, holding out her hand.

"Do not give her the final piece – she is the daughter of Raidon!" The commander of the Spirit World troops yelled from across the hall.

Chloe's brows furrowed and she saw Carmen visibly stiffen. "Carmen?"

"That man was no father of mine!" She spat. "I'm trying to destroy any chance of bringing him back Chloe, you have to trust me!"

Kurama couldn't believe his ears. Carmen was Raidon's daughter?

"In King Enma's name I command you not to give her that piece!" The commander ordered. Kurama could feel the man's aura beginning to build. Chloe suddenly made up her mind. She grabbed the door and slammed it shut. "Help me!" She yelled over her shoulder.

Carmen leapt over and pushed on the door as well, dipping one hand in her own blood and beginning to write a symbol on the door.

"What are you doing?" Chloe's heart skipped a beat when she felt the door shudder – the soldier was beating on the door. Carmen finished and pulled Chloe back. The door faded and was gone; there was just a wall there now. "Wh-what?" Chloe reached out and touched it. "What will we do now, there's no window!"

"We don't have time for explanations. We have to go." Carmen snatched the nearly complete medallion and shoved the table away, then grabbed the rug under it and pulled it up. There was a metal ring, seemingly attached to nothing. Carmen yanked on it, and up came a trap door. "Chloe, move!" She snapped, nearly shoving the girl down the ladder when she finally came. Carmen pulled the door down behind them, leaving them in pitch black darkness.

"I can't see!" Chloe didn't know why she whispered, but she clung tightly to the ladder.

"Just keep going till you reach the bottom."

Chloe moved as fast as she dared. She squeaked when her foot went for another rung only to find nothing. She gripped the ladder tightly, taking a deep breath before feeling around for the ground. She sank onto it in relief when she finally felt it.

"We don't have time for dawdling." Carmen shoved the medallion into a pouch on her thigh beneath the dress, wishing now she'd put her hair up for the final fight instead of leaving it down. At least it was braided. Her eyes finished adjusting to the dark and she grabbed Chloe's hand and hauled her onto her feet. "Let's go." She took off running, not letting go of the girl's hand.

Chloe stumbled but managed to keep her feet. "Where does this lead?" She didn't get an answer. Carmen just pulled her along, her yellow eyes piercing through the darkness somehow. Suddenly she put the girl's hand on the rung of a ladder. "Up." She hissed, scrambling up first. At the top she pushed open another trap door, sending light tumbling back down.

Chloe looked around in amazement when her head popped out. "We're back at the tavern!" They'd come up through the floor behind the bar.

"Yep." Carmen went into Eric's door, leaving Chloe standing behind the bar unsure of if she should follow. "I need your hands." Carmen came back out, armed with bandages, needle, and thread. She dumped them on the bar and found the most basic alcohol she could. "You're going to have to sew my arm up." She opened the bottle and dumped some of it on her arm, wincing at the ferocious sting.

Chloe's eyes widened. "I-I…I can't.."

Carmen threaded the needle and held it out. "No choice. I can't reach. You're going to have to." When Chloe still didn't move Carmen's leg shot out and swept the girl's feet out from under her.

"Hey!" Chloe hit the floor hard, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You awake now? I don't really want to bleed out so will you bloody hurry up?" Carmen took a drink of the alcohol, making a face at the awfulness of its taste. Chloe got to her feet and took the needle, swallowing hard. "I-I've never done this before."

"There's a first for everything. Just put the flap of skin back over, make sure it meets the other side of skin and sew it together, nice and snug."

Chloe reached forward hesitantly, holding her breath as she took the flapping skin and laid it back in its place.

"For heaven's sake." Carmen grabbed Chloe's hand and jabbed the needle through the skin. "We don't have all day. Stop being such a damn pansy." Chloe pulled it through, holding down the skin as she put another stitch in. Carmen sat quietly, taking a drink now and then and humming to herself and the girl carefully put the needle in and out, in and out.

"There." Chloe said finally, tying off the thread.

"Great. Now you bandage my arm while I bandage my hand." Carmen chucked a roll of gauze at her and then started wrapping another roll around her bloody left hand. Once finished she stood again and headed upstairs.

"What are you going to do?" Chloe asked, following after her.

"_We_'re leaving. Get any things you have."

"L-leaving? How come?"

"It will take a great deal of time and energy to deal with this medallion, neither of which do I have in great supply."

Chloe stopped. "What about Haru? And…wh-what about Kurama? And why do you need me?"

"You wanna know why you stutter Chloe? It's because you are a coward. You've always been that way, that's why you've always stuttered. But have you noticed something? You haven't stuttered as much lately. You know why? Because you discovered, deep down, that maybe somewhere inside of you is a spark of courage. You don't need Haru or Kurama holding your hand. I need you to keep that piece until I find a safe place to take care of the medallion. Until then it's not safe for it to be put back together."

Chloe was startled, more from the fact that Carmen had been that blunt than by what had been said. She knew she coward. But maybe, just maybe…she didn't have to be? She swallowed hard so she wouldn't stutter. "Alright. Let's go."

Carmen caught sight of the landing and turned around. "I don't actually have anything up there. Let's use the tunnel again." She made a quick stop at Eric's room, picking up her boots that she'd left drying. She pulled them on and opened the trap door. "After you."

Chloe glanced over her shoulder at the stairs once more before climbing down. Carmen waited till she had disappeared into the darkness before stepping in herself. She touched her forehead towards the stairs. "Forgive me Haru." She murmured, pulling the door shut on top of themselves.

* * *

Kurama and Eric came through the front door of the tavern. "Chloe?" Kurama called, taking note of Eric locking the front door behind them. He went up the stairs, eyes widening when he saw the landing. "Haru!" He jumped up the last steps. Haru lay in front of his door, a pool of blood spreading beneath him. He stared up at the ceiling, hardly seeing anything. Kurama went down on his knees, turning Haru's head towards him. "Can you hear me? What happened? Where's Carmen? Where's Chloe?" The last question seemed more urgent than the rest.

Haru coughed violently, pressing a hand on his abdomen, where the blood seemed to be originating from. "They were here…I think Carmen…saw me…they left…" He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Who did this?" Kurama's eyes searched for other injuries, but he only saw the one.

Haru forced his tired eyes open again. "He did."

"Who?"

"Alexand…" His eyes closed and he fell unconscious.

"Eric!"

* * *

Kurama reached out and pushed the doorbell, putting his hand back in his coat pocket. It was cold enough out that he could see his breath. A moment later the door opened.

"Kurama." Kuwabara looked shocked.

"Hello Kuwabara."

Kuwabara recovered himself and pushed the door open wider. "Come on in." He shut the door behind them and led the way to the kitchen. It was a small house, but not cramped. There was one big area with the tv, couch, and dining table and the kitchen was across. "You want something to drink?" The carrot-top offered, opening his fridge and pulling out a beer.

Kurama accepted a cold bottle. "Thank you."

"Sure." Kuwabara popped his open and took a drink as he leaned back against the counter. "So what brings you around here?"

Kurama took a slow drink, preparing his words. "I wanted to ask your forgiveness."

Kuwabara was taken aback. "What for?"

"After you disappeared, I didn't go out and look for you. I waited for clues. If I was any kind of true friend I would have exhausted the possibilities."

Kuwabara shrugged. "Look, it's over with. Just forget about it. You've had a lot on your plate what with college and all."

Kurama loosened his scarf. "You would not have stopped looking for me, if our positions had been reversed. I owe you that same loyalty."

Kuwabara laughed. "You don't owe me anything. Besides, I'm stubborn and don't know when to give up. But if it makes you feel better I accept the apology. Look at the bright side, at least I was there for the girl, Chloe? I think she felt better having me there. How is she doing, anyway?"

Kurama set down his beer. "I haven't heard from her since she left." Kuwabara looked surprised. "Left? Where did she go?"

"She went to go live with an aunt in Austria."

"Live?"

Kurama was silent a moment. "After what happened to her family I think she couldn't stand to stay here anymore."

"Something happened to her family? When? What?"

"Carmen underestimated Alexander. We all did."

* * *

Chloe rocked back and forth, staring out into the rain from the cave's entrance. They'd stopped for the night and taken refuge from the downpour in a high cave. "Haru, I-I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. You've always been there for me. I should have waited for you." A tear slipped from her eye and she buried her face in her knees. She'd been doubting her decision to go with Carmen almost since they left the tavern. She didn't belong out here, running for her life. Her head came up as she felt something drape around her shoulders.

"If you get sick I'm not carrying you." Carmen sat down next to her and pulled her own blanket around herself.

Chloe pulled the blanket tight, her chin quivering as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

If asked Carmen wouldn't have lied – she was really getting tired of Chloe bursting into tears at the drop of a hat. "For heaven's sake why are you crying now?" She was careful not to sound too annoyed.

Chloe rubbed at her eyes. "I-Haru-" She buried her face in her hands.

Carmen kept her voice even. "Did he die?"

"…No…"

"Are you dying?"

"…No…"

"Are you never going to see him again?"

"N-no?"

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm afraid."

"For him or for you?"

"Both!"

"Get a hold of yourself." Carmen could tell she was losing control.

"What if something happens and I didn't get to say good-bye?" Chloe sobbed.

"Then you didn't get to say good-bye. Get a grip, Chloe." The green-haired woman snapped.

"I can't - I'm not jaded and cold like you!" Chloe shot back, her eyes widening when she realized what she'd just said. "Carmen I-"

"Save it. Get some sleep." Carmen stood in one smooth motion and returned to their little fire. She lay down and pulled her blanket over herself. Haru's bloody body flashed before her eyes. She rolled onto her back, letting her yellow eyes wander over the ceiling of the cave. When the morning rays came peeking into the cave she was still awake. The fire had gone out long ago and Chloe slept peacefully on the other side of it. The demoness stood and wandered to the entrance, examining the silver scars on her arms. She couldn't remember where most of them came from. She'd seen too many wars, too many tournaments, too many fights for her very survival. Maybe, perhaps, it was time…

She crouched by Chloe and reached for the medallion. Carefully she pulled it off the sleeping girl and returned to her own bed. She sat down cross legged and pulled out the nearly-complete medallion. "You've caused a lot of trouble, father. Now go to hell." The fire roared back to life and she pushed the medallion pieces together.

The ground began to thrum.

Chloe blinked her eyes open. The fire was going again. Carmen was sitting on the other side of the fire, holding- "The medallion?" The girl's hand flew to her bare neck. "What are you doing?" She cried, fear gripping her heart. If Carmen really was bad than she might be-

"I'm sending him to hell, where he belongs!" Carmen pulled out her knife and sliced across her palm, letting the blood drip down onto the medallion.

Chloe was pushed to the ground as an oppressive force took over the cave. It was if a ton a rocks was sitting on her. It was hard just to breath. "What's going on?" Chloe asked, her terror plain in her voice. She didn't want to die! Especially not without getting to say good-bye to Kurama and…Haru. "Haru!" She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear slid down her cheek.

Eric paused, the glass lifted halfway to his lips. Kurama looked at him from across the table. "Eric?"

"Dammit Carmen, now?" He dumped the glass and bolted towards the back rooms. "We have to go NOW!"

Chloe had calmed down somewhat. Time seemed to slow down. She couldn't stand, she could barely breath. All she could do was stare at Carmen, terrified. Carmen hadn't moved this entire time. She just held her hand out, the blood dripping down onto the medallion, the firelight dancing and crackling as her aura came and went like the tide. Every time Chloe thought she could fight her way to her feet a new wave of power hit and forced her back down. 'What if Carmen really is evil? What if I helped her release Raidon? Will Kurama ever forgive me? Will Haru ever forgive me?' Was the string of thoughts running through her mind the entire time.

"Chloe!" Kurama yelled from the entrance of the cave. Chloe felt her heart quicken. "Kurama!" She tried to yell, but it came out only as a whisper.

The red-head was about to leap in, but Eric grabbed his arm. "Careful. Carmen is unstable right now. If you seem like a threat her aura will probably lash out and attack you."

"Is she releasing Raidon?" Kurama asked calmly, if a little coldly.

Eric looked at Carmen again. "No." He said finally. "Just move slowly." He released Kurama and crept forward himself.

Kurama walked forward, using his aura just enough to keep from being too pressured by Carmen's oppressive aura. "Chloe?" He pulled her up and into his arms, shielding her using his aura. "What have I done?" Chloe asked, her eyes shining with fear. Kurama smiled reassuringly. "It's all right. She's going to destroy the medallion." His voice showed more confidence than he felt; he could only pray that his words were true.

A surge of green aura rocketed out of the medallion and hit Carmen, sending her crashing into the cave wall. The thrumming in the ground stopping.

Eric leapt over, kneeling by her. "Carmen?"

She groaned and sat up. "I can't do this Eric. I'm not strong enough." She held her head, which was pounding.

"There is a way." He responded, quietly enough so only she heard. She looked at him with her bloodshot eyes, her jaw tightening. In a matter of seconds she'd already thought it through. "You better put a barrier around them." She said, standing and returning to the medallion. As soon as she stepped near it the ground began thrumming again. Eric came over to Kurama and Chloe. "Have you ever shared your strength?" He asked Kurama, rubbing his hands together and chanting a few words.

Chloe saw the air around them glimmering suddenly and the oppressiveness was relaxed. Kurama shook his head, still not releasing Chloe from his arms. Eric sighed. "A thousand years and you never learned how to share your strength? Shame. I'm going to channel your strength to her at the appropriate time. You'll probably feel very weak for a short period, as well as probably feeling lightheaded and or dizzy."

Kurama couldn't explain how he knew, but he could tell he dare not tell Eric no. So instead he turned his attention on Carmen, hoping to glean a hint as to what she was doing.

Carmen placed her hands together as if praying, her eyes staring unseeingly into the dancing flames of the fire. A blue light began swirling around her bare feet, slowly circling up her entire body, leaving a trail of blue light behind. Her eyes rolled back into her head, her lips beginning to move as she chanted. Once the light reached the top of her head it stopped circling and stood still for a moment before disappearing into her body. She gasped and her eyelids closed. Time seemed to stand still until she exhaled and her eyes opened again.

Chloe gasped. Carmen's eyes were no longer yellow – they were bright, intense blue. "What did she do?" The girl asked worriedly.

Eric shifted his stance slightly. "She just kicked down a door."

Carmen stooped down and picked up the medallion. She placed it on her bleeding hand. As soon as she focused her gaze on it the fire roared and touched the ceiling. Chloe wanted to run, wanted to hide, but she was mesmerized. Kurama felt Eric touch his shoulder. He gasped at the sensation he suddenly felt, but weak and incredibly powerful at the same time. Pain ripped through his body, yet somehow it didn't bother him. He also felt as if there was no strength left in his limbs.

The fire burned even brighter and Carmen's eyes began glowing. The thrumming in the ground grew stonger and more frequent.

The next event all seemed to happen in slow motion. They barely heard a –thwang- sound reverberate through the cave. Carmen's body shuddered. Chloe barely kept from screaming when her brown eyes saw the figure standing in the cave entrance, orange eyes glowing with pleasure.

"Gotcha."


	14. Judgment Day

A/N: Sorry it has been such a long time guys! Life just got busy and I had some trouble figuring out where to take the story. Enjoy!

* * *

Carmen's body shuddered. Alexander's eyes glowed with pleasure. Slowly she turned to face her brother. "Heirmenle laboath sirket!" Blue lightening flashed from her fingertips, sending him flying out of the cave. Chloe turned white when Carmen reached behind herself and ripped the large arrow out. Her blue eyes looked over it a moment before she cast it into the flames.

"Poisoned?" Eric questioned, dropping the shield and hurrying to her side.

"Of course. He wouldn't face me at full strength. He's too cowardly for that." Carmen pressed the medallion into his hands. "Don't either of you-" she looked at Kurama and Eric meaningfully "-dare try and help me." She strode to the entrance and leapt out.

The rain pelted her face, but she barely heeded it. She landed gracefully, facing her brother. "I do not want to kill you brother." She spoke loud enough to be heard over the brewing storm. Alexander snorted. "You always were a good liar sister. But I know you too well to be fooled." Thunder boomed and shook the ground beneath them with its power, but neither flinched. "We both know the reason you haven't killed me is because you are not strong enough. You have not embraced the gift that is ours alone – I have. And now I'm going to crush you with it." He leaned onto the balls of his feet and brought his arms up as if holding two knives.

Carmen didn't move, but the ground beneath her began to glow. "You cannot frighten me with words. You are a foolish boy playing a game you do not understand." She raised one arm to the dark sky, the clouds swirling like a tornado and reaching down to her outstretched hand.

Alexander launched. But before he could make contact there was a flash of blue and he shot backwards, crashing into a tree. Carmen lowered her arm, now holding a sword in her hand. She raised it above her head then stabbed it into the ground. It sent a shockwave through the ground, setting trees waving wildly as if in an earthquake.

Alexander tried to stand, but the ground wobbled so wildly he couldn't keep his feet. With a growl of frustration he punched the ground, sending a stream of orange energy flowing from him through ground until it shot up in Carmen's face.

She had to let go of the sword in order to jerk back quick enough to avoid the hit.

Alexander was on her in a second, the sword in hand and driving it towards her.

She rolled to the side, continuing to roll as he stabbed at her. "Not so cocky now, are you?" He shouted about the storm. Carmen suddenly tackled him, her blue eyes flashing angrily. "You think a sword gives you an advantage? I made that sword, you idiot! It won't obey you!" She clawed at him, trying to take the sword back.

Alexander whipped his head back and knocked it straight into hers, sending a jolt from the force through both of their bodies. It was enough to muddle her thoughts for a moment; it was all he needed.

"Carmen!" Chloe clamped her hands over her mouth. She couldn't believe that Alexander had just stabbed Carmen – with his own hand! Eric laid a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, though he himself was tensed and ready to assist if need be.

Carmen looked down at the arm protruding from her chest, then at Alexander's smug face. "Now who's cocky?" She spit blood in his eyes, grabbed the sword, and rolled off him, all in a split second.

Alexander swiped blindly at her, blinking the blood out of his vision.

Carmen leapt out of his reach, pressing a hand to her chest to stem the blood flow. She spit some more blood out of her mouth. She felt his energy growing and she closed her eyes, concentrating.

"Mert!" Alexander yelled, throwing his arm forward.

Carmen spun on one foot, raising the sword above her head with both hands and swinging straight down. The sword glowed blue as it cut through the ball of energy and sent both halves on either side of the demoness. Each half exploded behind her, sending dirt and debris flying.

Carmen opened her eyes, which glinted with an extreme coldness. "Die." Blue energy shot from her. Orange energy shot from him. When it met and exploded, the entire landscape shook.

Chloe stumbled and fell over, her heart pounding as rocks from the ceiling tumbled around her. She was vaguely aware of someone over her, shielding her.

"We have to get out of here!" Kurama shouted.

"No!" Eric responded. "We're safer in here than down there with them!"

"We're going to be crushed in here!"

"Fine! We'll take our chances down there with those two!"

Carmen lifted herself from some rubble, coughing dust out of her lungs. She blinked her eyes, every sense on the alert for her brother. She scanned the area around the newly formed crater and looked for any sign of movement. She leaned down and picked up her sword. She needed to end this, and soon.

Suddenly, she felt something, a tingle in her back.

Time seemed to slow almost to a stop. Every blink of her eye seemed to stretch for hours. She looked down. The tip of a sword stuck out of her chest. A single tear slid down her cheek and splashed on the metal. When she turned her head to look over her shoulder, Alexander was nowhere to be seen.

"Carmen!" Chloe screamed, tearing away from Kurama.

Eric turned pale. His lips moved, but not a sound escaped his chest. It felt like ten tons of bricks had been thrown on his chest.

Carmen fell onto her knees, her sword dropping into the dirt. She looked up sluggishly at Chloe running towards her. The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile, then her eyes closed and her arms went limp and her head fell onto her chest.

Chloe opened her mouth to yell when she saw Alexander suddenly looming behind Carmen again, his hand reaching out to grab his sword again. But before the girl could make a sound the strangest thing happened.

Carmen's fingers suddenly gripped her sword hilt and she turned and plunged it straight through Alexander's heart. She gripped his shoulder and drove the blade through until her handle hit flesh. "You were wrong to think I wouldn't kill you, Alexander." She murmured, her lips so close her breath tickled his ear.

Alexander's eyes were wide, but he smirked ever so slightly. "No…Cailyn…you loved…father….and yes..." With the last of his strength he turned his head and whispered in her ear. "She'll never…forget…me…" His eyes closed and he slumped forward.

Carmen caught him and slid onto her knees, cradling him in her arms. She kissed his forehead and laid him on the ground. "You were wrong." She whispered. "I loved you, brother. Rest in peace."

"Carmen!" Chloe stumbled to her knees beside the green-haired demoness. "Carmen, can you hear me?" She asked fearfully, the sight of the sword sticking out of Carmen's back making her stomach revolt.

Carmen looked at the girl, suddenly disgusted by her weakness and frailty. "Just pull this damn sword out of me." She snapped.

Chloe's eyes widened and she pulled back, shocked by Carmen's command and tone. "I-I c-couldn't." She stammered.

Carmen grabbed a rock and slammed it against the tip of the sword, sending it straight back. Her vision swam but she reached back, grabbed the blade, and yanked it the rest of the way out. She stood, blood from her palm dripping down the blade. "This is what separates someone like you from me. I do what has to be done – you sit there, terrified of your own shadow. You're pathetic." She pulled her own sword out of Alexander and walked back towards the cave.

Kurama could have ripped her head off, but Eric stood in his way.

"Stay, Kurama." He held up his hands unthreateningly. "She just killed her own brother, now she's got to kill her father. Can you really blame her for being upset?"

"That's no excuse." Kurama spoke coldly, his tolerance for Carmen hitting its max. "She cannot speak to Chloe like that and-"

"Eric, the medallion?" Carmen yelled, about ten feet from them.

Eric turned and tossed it to her. "We have to get to Chloe!" He took off running.

Carmen put her and Alexander's swords together and drove them straight into medallion. A white light shot straight up out of the medallion.

Kurama pulled Chloe to himself, shielding her even though Eric had already put of the protective barrier.

Chloe gasped as the thrumming in the ground picked up again, twice as fast as last time.

"How is she doing that?" Kurama asked.

Eric glanced over his shoulder at the two of them. "Her power is resonating in the ground, like an echo. It's more powerful now because she has access to Alexander's power through the sword he made. She's also upset and just wanting to get this over with, so she's pushing it as fast as possible."

Suddenly a figure appeared in the column of light.

"Carmen?"

Her blue eyes turned onto him without a hint of remorse. "I'm sorry Father. Your crimes are too great. By the gods of the old world you are hereby stripped of your right to life."

"Sweetheart, please! I'm sorry for what I've done!" The man cried out, terror shining in his eyes.

Chloe gripped Kurama's arms, her eyes shimmering with tears.

Carmen didn't even blink. "As judge and executioner I now carry out your sentence. May the gods have mercy upon you." She twisted the swords.

The medallion exploded in a burst of blinding light.

When it dissipated all that could be seen was Carmen, her hands hanging limply at her sides.

Eric dropped the barrier, just watching her.

Carmen closed her eyes for a moment, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Good-bye…Father." She opened her blue eyes again, turning and looking at her companions.

"Carmen, for your crimes against humans and against Spirit World, you are hereby placed under arrest!"

Carmen looked at the six men from the arena now surrounding her again. She looked past them to Chloe for a moment; the girl avoided her gaze. The demoness felt a pang in her chest, unrelated to her physical wound. She was so tired. "Very well. Arrest me." She gasped in pain as her arms were bound tightly behind her back. She caught Eric's eye for a brief moment before a cloth was placed over her eyes and her world went dark.

"Be careful!" Eric shouted, rushing forward. "Can't you see she's injured? Badly? She needs medical attention immediately!"

"That's not our concern." A portal opened and the seven of them disappeared through it.

* * *

Chloe rushed up the stairs in the back of Eric's tavern. "Haru!" She burst through his door, sucking her breath in sharply.

Haru was laying on the bed, pale, his eyes closed. They opened when she came through the door, and he smiled weakly. "Thank god they found you before she-"

"Shh. She didn't hurt me." Chloe sat on the edge of his bed, taking his hand in hers. "What happened to you?"

Haru squeezed her hand. "Alexander found me. He was really pissed. I guess he thought he'd take out some frustration on me."

"How badly are you…how bad is it?" Chloe swallowed hard, a little afraid to hear the answer.

Haru smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about me. Would you get me some water?"

She nodded and left the room. She stopped outside his door, fighting back tears. She walked slowly down the stairs, the tears threatening to spill over. "Kurama, how bad is he, really?" She asked, sinking into a chair.

Kurama sat down facing her. "He's dying, Chloe."

Chloe covered her face, the tears finally spilling over. No. She couldn't lose Haru. He was everything to her. Without him, she had nothing. She lifted her head suddenly as a thought crossed her mind. "Could a goddess heal him?" She blurted out.

Eric's hands froze on the glass her was wiping down.

Kurama cocked his head. "There aren't any around, though I guess-"

"I know where one is." Chloe swiped at her cheeks. "The river that Carmen went down when she was being chased by the assassins. It's guarded by a river goddess. She's the one that saved us and sent us down the river."

Eric relaxed a little and set the glass down. "But she has no reason to save his life, and-"

"Yes she has." Chloe interrupted, looking at him. "We made a bargain with her for her help the first time. Haru had to return to her when we'd finished everything with Carmen. He won't be able to do that if he's dead, so she'll have to help him."

"What does she want with Haru?" Eric asked.

Kurama couldn't believe his ears. A goddess?

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. It happened so fast we didn't have time to question. But I'm sure of what she is. We have to take him to her. Now." She stood up, a determined look on her face.

Kurama looked at Eric, who looked back. Finally Eric tossed the towel on the counter. "We've got nothing to lose. The boy's dying anyway."

* * *

Chloe splashed the water again, growing increasingly annoyed. "Morana! Where are you?" She yelled, kicking at the water.

Kurama watched her, silent, his mind already rehearsing how to tell her that perhaps she'd been mistaken, that-

"Stop kicking at the water like that. You look like a fool."

Chloe turned to the right. Morana now stood facing her, arms crossed.

"I don't take kindly to being called like some dog d-"

"It's Haru." Chloe interrupted, stumbling back to Eric, who was holding the unconscious boy. "He's dying."

Morana was at his side in a moment and turned his face towards hers. "Haru?"

His eyelids fluttered for a moment, but he didn't wake up.

"What happened to him?" She asked, hurriedly trying to get a look at his wounds.

"Alexander, Carmen's brother, got to him. Can you help him?" Chloe's stomach was in knots.

Morana paused for a moment when she heard the name Alexander. "This is most certainly Alexander's work. Give him to me." She took him from Eric and returned to the river, wading in. Once she was waist deep she set him down, letting him float gently on the water. She placed one hand on his chest, the other on his wound. Golden lines like ribbons began glowing, starting at her legs and spreading up her body, down her arms, and then began wrapping around Haru's body. The river stopped moving, every drop at Morana's command. Haru's skin began glistening as water crept up his body to his wounds, filling them.

Chloe shifted from foot to foot, biting her lip nervously as she watched, her lips moving in silent prayers.

Morana lifted her face to the sky, the golden lines glowing ever brighter. Her lips moved, although those on shore couldn't not hear anything of what she was reciting. Suddenly the river began flowing again, seeming to take with it all the golden lines on both Haru and Morana. The goddess slid her arms underneath the boy and lifted him out of the water, walking them back to the shore.

She placed him back in Eric's arm, her eyes lingering on his face for just a moment before she turned away. "He's fine now, he just needs some sleep."

"Thank you." Chloe exclaimed, unable to hide the relief in her voice.

Morana turned to her. "I told you he would have to return to me." She looked Chloe up and down. "I've healed his body. Now leave."

"Wait, Morana." Chloe ran forward, stepping in front of the goddess so she could look into her eyes. "Thank you." She meant it from the bottom of her heart. "But…" She summoned up all her courage. "If this is all you had in mind, why did you do it? Why would you bother to heal him?"

Morana looked down at the girl, then back at Haru. "He's my son." She said simply, stepping around the girl and walking back towards the river.

Chloe's eyes were wide. "Y-you're his mother?" She stuttered, in shock.

Morana began wading into the water. She took one more look over her shoulder. "Why do you think I was condemned to this realm? Take good care of him." She bobbed under the water and disappeared.

* * *

The clock ticking pounded in Chloe's ears. She was sitting by the bed, staring at the sleeping Haru. He hadn't woken up since Morana had healed him at the river hours ago. She scooted down a little further in the chair, her eyelids closing despite her best efforts. She didn't even stir when Kurama opened the door.

He took in the scene before him, touched by her devotion. She had refused to leave Haru's side, swearing to the heavens that she wasn't the least bit tired. Yet there she was, passed out in the chair. He lifted her gently out of the chair and took her to the next bedroom, laying her carefully on the bed. He pulled one of the blankets over her, his green eyes lingering on her face.

"Kurama?" Eric pushed open the door, pausing when he saw that Chloe was sleeping on the bed.

Kurama waited till they were out in the hall with the door shut to speak. "What is it?"

"What are you going to do for Carmen? You know she will be put on trial, and probably executed."

"There's nothing I can do."

"I don't believe that. You can speak on her behalf." Eric's eyes flashed.

"Nothing I would say would help her case."

"I know you don't understand her reasoning all the time, but you should trust her."

"I don't. Everything she's done has been for her own gain, regardless of collateral damage."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Because you're so perfect yourself. I'm disappointed in you. All of you." He turned and disappeared down the stairs.

Kurama shook his head. He couldn't understand why Eric was so loyal to Carmen.

"Kurama?"

He turned around.

Chloe stood behind, her eyes still a little bleary from her nap. "Carmen will be executed?" Her lower lip trembled.

Kurama shrugged. "I have no idea of everything that she is accused of. If her crimes are great enough, she will be. It just depends how dangerous they believe her to be."

"Will you take me to go see her?"

Kurama couldn't believe his ears. "Why do you wish to see her?"

Chloe rubbed the back of her neck. "Because…she's my friend. I don't want her die. Least of all thinking that I…thinking that I'm mad at her."

Would her ability to forgive ever reach a limit? "Very well. I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

* * *

"Carmen?" Chloe wrapped her fingers around a couple of the bars.

Carmen was lying on the cot in the corner, her back to them. "What do you want?" She didn't stir.

"I wanted to see you, before…before your trial."

Carmen lifted herself of the cot, hunching over a little and walking gingerly over. She grabbed a bar tightly, it seeming to be the only thing keeping her upright. "What for?" She looked between Chloe and Kurama. "Did you come to get me out of here?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, we-"

"Then go away." Carmen stumbled back to her cot and laid down carefully.

"Carmen, we never wanted this to happen to you."

Carmen was back at the bars in a flash, eyes blazing. "Is that true, Kurama, you never wanted me locked up? Then why did you sick those filthy Spirit World security on me when I was weak?" She turned her fierce blue eyes on Chloe, who shrank from her gaze. "And you, if you didn't want me locked up, why did you say nothing when they came to arrest me? Huh? Answer me that." Her face went pale and she sank to the floor, clutching her chest where Alexander had stabbed her.

Chloe looked at Kurama. "_You_ called them?"

Kurama looked at Carmen for a moment, then at Chloe. "I had to, Chloe."

"Because your master ordered you to." Carmen snapped, pulling herself to her feet. "Well, now you've gotten your revenge for all the horrible things I've done to you. Congratulations."

"You put my family in danger, Carmen." Kurama's eyes were cold, dangerous.

Carmen snorted, her eyes looking to the guards who were coming down the hallway for her. "Your family was already in danger. If I hadn't destroyed the medallion, Raidon would have destroyed your world."

The guards unlocked the door and two grabbed her arms, taking her out. "Go back to your precious families and you just remember that they're safe because of me!" She snapped over her shoulder.

Chloe grabbed Kurama's hand. "Come on, we have to go."

Carmed had turned several shades paler by the time the guards dragged her into the judgment room. They shackled her hands to a pole in the center of the room and left. Koenma and six others sat along one wall. Chloe and Kurama slipped in, joining the small crowd along the opposite wall.

"Carmen, you are charged with crimes against humans and against Spirit World, for theft, for murder, and for treason. In order to ascertain the truth, a psychic will show your memories to determine the truth. If there are extenuating circumstances or you are proved innocent, you will be released. If the accusations are true, you will be executed immediately."

Carmen tensed imperceptibly. "This is outrageous. You cannot go into my mind and show whatever image you choose out of it." She snapped, glaring at the psychic approaching her.

"You are a criminal, Carmen, we have every right." Koenma nodded again.

Carmen felt a sharp pain in her chest and grabbed onto the pole, closing her eyes. She could feel the psychic in her mind, but her physical wounds made it impossible for her to concentrate enough to fend off the invasion. When she opened her eyes the one blank wall in the room was lit up like a television screen, only this time the movie was real – these were her memories. She looked over the edge of an embankment at a village. She could see one or two of the farmers stepping out of their doorways, stretching, the first people to have risen for the day. The view shook slight then the tip of a sword came into view.

Carmen's jaw tightened. She remembered that village well – it was the first time she had killed in cold blood.

Suddenly the view saw only the sky as she leaped over the edge. She decapitated the first farmer from behind, running silently to the other and swiftly cutting his throat. He gave a gurgled cry. She whirled around, moving swiftly towards the village leader's house. She leapt into a tree and from that into a bedroom, stabbing both the occupants of a bed before they could cry out.

Kurama turned Chloe around. "You don't need to watch this." He rubbed her arms when he saw that she flinched every time the sound of sword cutting flesh resounded.

Chloe could barely keep tears back at the sadness she felt for those innocent people, so in anger she looked at Carmen. The green-haired demoness was looking at the scene playing on the wall, her jaw tight, but without any other indication that this made her uncomfortable. Within ten minutes it was over. The scene stopped playing. Chloe looked to the judges, one of who was scribbling notes down.

Finally Koenma cleared his throat. "You are hereby found guilty of the massacre of the village of Renoa. Onto the next accusation, please." He nodded to the psychic. "The massacre of Gorman."

* * *

"Carmen, you are hereby found guilty of the murder of the Spirit World detective Ren." Koenma convened with the others, whispering amongst themselves. They had spent the last two hours viewing memory after memory of the various atrocities Carmen was accused of. Nearly one hundred percent of them were true.

Carmen glared at the psychic as he stepped away, then turned to look at Chloe and Kurama. She knew a death sentence was forthcoming, why bother prolonging it? She could see tears in Chloe's eyes, and for some reason that cut her to the quick. With a heavy heart she turned to face her judges, her head held high.

"Carmen, daughter of Raidon, you are found guilty of numerous charges, involving murder, theft, treason, and destruction of Spirit World property."

"Doesn't she get a chance to defend herself?" Chloe whispered to Kurama in surprise. Kurama leaned down. "By showing the memories there is no need for that. If you did it, you did it, and if you didn't, you didn't."

"You are hereby sentenced to-"

"Wait!"

All eyes turned to the double doors which had burst open. Eric strode in and walked to Carmen's side. "There is something you must know about Carmen before you dare to pass judgment on her."

Carmen glared at Eric. "What are you doing?" She hissed. "I-"

"What, exactly, do you think you know that might affect our decision in any way?" Koenma looked and sounded annoyed at the interruption.

Eric walked forward and leaned over the table. He wrote something on Koenma's paper and turned it for the deity to read.

Koenma's eyes widened. "I-impossible! Do you have any proof?"

Eric nodded to one of the people watching. The woman stepped forward until she was near Carmen. She raised her hands, channeling her aura through her arms.

"This woman's power gives her the ability to replicate the sun's rays, without the intensity which would otherwise blind our eyes. She is now recreating the light from a sunrise."

A light suddenly shone from a ball of energy between the woman's hands.

Carmen looked at the woman, then down at the ball of light.

Everyone in the room gasped. Ugly, twisted silver scars now ravaged her previously flawless skin, every limb, every piece of exposed skin revealing new injuries. The worst to behold was her face. A thick scar ran from her right temple, across her eye, to her jaw on the opposite side. There were too many scars around her left eye to count, as if one or more people had attempted to gouge out her eye. The scars on her right cheek made it appear as if someone had literally ripped the skin off her cheek and had taken part of her neck with it.

Carmen turned her head, setting her blue eyes in Koenma.

He swallowed hard, not only because of the brutality of the scars, but also because of what the scars indicated. "Unchain her, immediately!" He ordered, almost panicking now.

The woman stopped shining the light and backed away.

Chloe could hardly believe her eyes. Just as suddenly as the ugly scars had appeared they had disappeared with the light. But why did Koenma suddenly seem so afraid?

Carmen pursed her lips as the chains fell away. She rubbed her wrists, and muttered something under her breath. "Damn!" She exclaimed when nothing happened.

"Has Alexander's poison not worked out of your system yet?" Eric asked.

Carmen glared at him. "No." She snapped. She turned her attention on Koenma. "I trust these accusations against me will now be expunged?" She asked icily.

Koenma nodded quickly. "Of course, your-"

"Don't try and flatter me now." She interrupted. "We're done." She turned and walked out of the double doors, the sound of their shutting the only sound to disturb the silence that now covered the room.

* * *

A/N: Okay guys, please review and let me know what you think! Also, let me know if you'd like to know Carmen's story. :)


	15. Hello And GoodBye

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I keep trying to wrap it up, but then I remember all these loose ends that need to be finished, and of course I'm still considering finding a way to include Carmen's story, which really is a whole story unto itself, so we'll see what happens. But forget me, enjoy the next installment! :)

* * *

Chloe walked silently beside Kurama, her hand tucked safely in his. She was quiet because she didn't know what to say; she was afraid of what he might say. It was all over: Carmen, the medallion, Demon World. It was finally finished. In her heart she was scared that now that he didn't have to be here, he might just go back to college and they would go back to what they were.

"Are you okay Chloe?" Kurama spoke quietly. He'd noticed her silence all the way back from Carmen's trial.

She looked at him then away quickly. "I'm okay."

He knew that wasn't true, but he was clueless as to the cause of her distress. But he respected her silence. They walked up the front stairs of her house. He noticed something seemed very off about the house, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Chloe let go of his hand and reached up above the door frame where her parents kept a spare key. She stuck it in the door, then her brows wrinkled. "It's unlocked." She twisted the knob and pushed the door open, gasping involuntarily. The house was empty, no furniture, no paintings, no rugs anywhere. Her feet moved before she realized what she was doing, her feet taking her upstairs to her parents' bedroom. She nearly screamed when she came face-to-face with a woman she had never seen in her life.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked sharply, blocking the doorway.

"Who are you?" Chloe demanded. "Where are my parents? Where is our stuff?"

The woman seemed a little taken aback. "You must be mistaken child, no one has lived here in months."

Chloe could see a couple over the woman's shoulder. They seemed very confused and were whispering to each other.

"No, my parents live here. The Scott's. This is our house!"

The woman sucked in her breath sharply. "Excuse me for just a moment." She smiled over her shoulder, taking Chloe's arm and pulling her downstairs, herding Kurama back down as well who was on his way up. She let go of Chloe's arm at the bottom of the stairs. "What is your name?" She asked Chloe, looking a little pale.

"Chloe. Chloe Scott, and I live here!" Tears threatened to spill over, but Chloe didn't let them. She was confused, she was angry, but she was not about to cry in front of this rude woman.

"Oh merciful heaven, you're the missing daughter." The woman paled, but pulled out her phone.

"The missing d-listen, I haven't been missing, I was gone on a trip! What happened to my parents? Where did they go?"

The woman didn't answer, she just pulled out a note from her pocket and began dialing. She put it to her ear and spoke quietly into it. "Mrs. Bauer? This is Francine Goodwyn." A moment of silence. "I'm fine, thank you. Are you sitting down? Good, because I have some startling news. She's here. She just walked through the door. Your niece, Chloe." Another moment of silence. "No, she doesn't know anything. Alright." Then she hung up. "Your aunt will be here in five minutes and she'll explain everything to you."

"Explain what to me? What the hell happened?" Chloe clenched her fists, the knot in her stomach tightening.

"It will be better coming from someone you know."

Kurama, who had been silent to this point, put his hands on Chloe's shoulders. "Will you excuse us, Mrs. Goodwyn?"

She nodded hesitantly and went back upstairs. She returned in a moment, leading the couple from earlier out the front. "I'll just be outside." She shut the front door.

Kurama turned Chloe to face him. He had suspicions about what had happened, and he thought only fair to try and brace her up for what could be coming. "Chloe, say something."

She pulled away from his hands, swiping angrily at her eyes. "I don't know why that rude woman won't just tell me where my parents moved and why." She crossed her arms, not really believing her parents had simply moved away, but still desperately hoping.

"Chloe, I- you should be prepared in case it's something..worse."

Within minutes they heard a car pull up, following by hurried footsteps coming up to the door. "Chloe?" A young woman with auburn hair burst through the door, followed by a man with black hair.

Chloe looked at the two of them, her lower lip quivering. "Aunt Nel? Uncle Scott?"

Her aunt embraced her, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Thank god you're safe!" She exclaimed, squeezing the girl tightly.

Chloe pulled back. "What happened to Mom and Dad?" She asked, working hard to keep her voice from shaking.

Her aunt and uncle exchanged a glance. "Why don't you come with us back to the hotel and-"

"No!" Chloe spoke evenly, determinedly. "Tell me now. … Please."

Kurama moved closer to the girl, somehow knowing in his heart what was coming.

Her aunt swallowed hard. "Your parents were…killed, Chloe."

Everyone seemed to expect Chloe to faint, or yell, or do something. Instead she asked "What happened?"

"Why don't you sit down?" Kurama spoke quietly, putting his arm around her shoulder.

She pulled away and repeated her question. "What. Happened."

Uncle Scott pulled Nel into arms as she began crying. "A few months ago your parents didn't show to the store. There was no note left on the door, no explanation for the customers. Finally one of them, a Mrs. Sato, came looking for them."

Chloe knew Mrs. Sato. She'd been a friend of the family before she began shopping at the store. She'd often watched Chloe when she was a child.

"She called all their phones first, without any answers. Both cars were here, but there was no sign of anyone. The door was unlocked, so she came in. She found your parents in their bedroom, dead. She called the police, and tried to call you, but your phone was in your bedroom. The police assumed the killer must have kidnapped you. They searched for you for two months, but finally, with no leads since the investigation began, they concluded you were most likely dead by this point and had to close the case."

"I never gave up on you." Nel turned and went to hug Chloe.

She stepped back, her eyes looking down at the floor. "How did they die?" Her voice was quiet, but it had an odd ring to it.

"Chloe dear, you don't-"

"I want to know!" She snapped, her brown eyes flashing.

"Their throats were slashed, and a message was written on the wall." Nel's eyebrows furrowed. "But it made no sense. It said 'Be sure to thank Carmen. If not for her, they need never have died. –A.' Does that mean anything to you? They never could figure out who Carmen was, or who 'A' was either."

Without batting an eyelash Chloe replied "I've never heard that name before in my life. Will you please leave now? I'll call you later." Her voice sounded strange, even to her own ears.

Her aunt seemed startled. "But Chloe-"

"Please. Just go."

Her aunt reached into her purse and pulled out some paper and scribbled something on it. "Here's our number at the hotel as well as my cell phone. Please call." She pressed it into Chloe's hand before unwillingly walking out the door.

Chloe breathed heavily, walking quickly to a window in the empty living room. She shoved the window up and inhaled deeply. But she still felt like she couldn't breathe. She clutched at her chest, feeling the world begin to spin. She was vaguely aware of arms holding her up when her legs gave out, but it could have been the boogieman for all she knew.

Kurama held her up, managing to catch her just before she passed out completely. He lifted her into his arms once she completely passed out. He turned around when the door burst open.

"Chloe!" Haru shouted, looking around until he saw Kurama. "She knows." It was more of a statement than a question.

Kurama nodded. "Her aunt and uncle told her."

Haru came over and looked pityingly down at her white face. "I just heard what happened so I rushed over. I was hoping to be here when she was told. Listen, my car is outside. How about you bring her out and I'll take her back home with me?"

"It's alright, I'll take her next door to my house."

Haru felt annoyed, but he didn't show it. "With all due respect, Shuiichi, she'll be better off at my house. She knows my house, she knows my father, and she knows me. Not," he held up a hand "that she doesn't know you, quite the contrary. But we've been best friends since childhood. I think she'll feel more…" he searched for the appropriate word "at ease to grieve with me."

Kurama hated it, but he felt that Haru had a point. Also, as Yoko was demon just like Carmen, it was no stretch of the imagination to think that she might blame him for her parents' deaths as much as she would blame Carmen. "Alright, but just for a couple days."

A couple days stretched into a few days. A few days stretched into a week. A week stretched into a couple weeks.

Kurama glanced at the calendar from his position at his mother's dining table where his was sipping some morning coffee. He'd been waiting patiently for Chloe to call ever since she'd been driven off in the limo with Haru. He hadn't heard a peep since.

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door.

He set down his mug and went to answer. "Hell-" He stopped short when he saw who was outside his door.

Carmen looked up at him, her green hair in one braid over her shoulder. "Hello Kurama. Where's Chloe?" She asked.

Kurama, none too happy with her, responded just as coldly "Not here."

Carmen sighed. "Then she's at Haru's." She turned and walked down the steps.

"Don't go see her. She doesn't want to see you, and you'll only make it worse." Kurama spoke quietly, but her feet stopped moving.

"Make what worse?" She didn't turn around, but she turned her head slightly.

"Your brother killed her parents. That's why her house is empty."

Carmen was prepared for almost anything, except that. "He killed her parents?" She repeated, softly. "I had no idea, she has to know that. Did…does she hate me?"

Kurama could detect a trace of sorrow in her voice, but he ignored it. Carmen was a master manipulator. She could fake any emotion if she wanted to. "I don't know. She's not really capable of hating anyone." He didn't finish his thought, which was that Carmen probably deserved it after everything she'd put Chloe through.

"What you mean is that you haven't talked to her." Carmen turned around, a twinkle in her eye. "Which means it's just as likely that she hates you as that she hates me. Guess I'll just have to go find out which it is."

"Haven't you done enough damage?" Kurama stepped outside and shut the door so his mother wouldn't wake up.

Carmen's jaw tightened. "Because you've never done anything to hurt anybody." She replied coolly. "Besides, Alexander killing her parents was none of my doing."

"But you brought her into your mess, you put her on his list of things to destroy."

"Yes, you would see it that way. God, I forget what a small view you all have sometimes." Carmen turned back around and began walking away. "I'm going to go see her, even if you're not brave enough to."

Kurama watched her walk away, a bitter taste in his mouth.

Carmen knocked on the large double doors at Haru's father's mansion. She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her peacoat. A maid answered the door. "Yes?"

"Would you tell Haru that Carmen is here to see Chloe?" Carmen didn't bother waiting for an invitation; she walked in and unbuttoned her coat.

The maid seemed a little startled, but she nodded and hurried off. A few minutes later Haru came down the stairs, his face showing his annoyance. "You may as well leave, I'm not going to let you see her." He said before his feet even hit the bottom stair.

Carmen looked back at him coldly, but a little amused. "Who said I was asking?" She walked forward, looking even more amused when Haru blocked her path. "Don't try and play with me, boy. I could rip you to shreds without blinking." She warned.

"I don't care. You've hurt her enough."

In the blink of an eye Carmen was behind him and jogging up the stairs. She knocked quietly on the door she sensed Chloe behind and then opened it. "Chloe?" She called softly. She shut the door behind herself and walked over to the window.

Chloe was sitting in a chair facing out the window, her eyes staring unseeingly through the glass.

"Chloe, will you answer me?" Carmen sat down in the chair next to her, pulling her legs up underneath herself. She reached over and shook the girl's shoulder. Chloe finally turned her brown eyes on the green-haired demoness, the lifelessness and utter devastation in them cutting her to the quick. "I didn't know about your parents. I had no idea that he had..." Carmen trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"You should have known." Chloe spoke quietly, but coldly.

Carmen drew back. "Excuse me?"

"You should have known that Alexander would kill my parents. Why? Because his hatred of you extended to his very core, and since you brought me under your wings, I now became part of you."

"I did know that you were brought into his line of fire, but I thought that he would be busy enough chasing us down that he-"

"I never understood how he could hate you so passionately. Until now." Chloe's eyes filled with tears, but she did not let them fall.

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? That's interesting." She turned to look out the window. "Pray tell, what do you think you understand about his hatred for me?"

"You use everyone as pawns to help you reach your own twisted goals, whatever those might be. You keep everyone at a distance so you never get hurt. You would probably kill your own mother if it suited your needs."

Carmen chuckled at first, then let out a laugh. "Let me guess, I'm a heartless mercenary concerned only with my own personal gain and pocketbook? Whoever holds my purse strings holds my loyalty?"

Chloe scowled. "That's what they say. More than enough reason for Alexander to dislike you."

Carmen looked at the girl, for the first time surprised by something she'd said. "You seem to be attributing a great sense of decency or morality to my brother." She didn't bother disguising the amusement in her voice.

Chloe opened and shut her mouth a few times, unsure of how to respond. She knew Carmen was right about that one, but she hated to admit Carmen was right about anything at this point.

"I never claimed to be a good person. And everything you've said of me is more or less true. But none of it would explain why my brother hated me as he did. Try again." Her tone was playful, lilting, which only served to exasperate Chloe even more.

"Fine! Maybe I don't know why he hated you so much. But I sympathize with him and the more time I spend with you the more I think I shall share his feelings." She swiped at her eyes, the tears starting to come even though she tried desperately to keep them in.

"Ah. But the difference is that you are a good person who dislikes me for being a bad person, while Alexander…" Carmen trailed off, smiling to herself and shaking her head slightly. "was a very bad person who disliked me for being a better person than him. So you see my quandary. To him I was too good, to you I'm too bad. What's a girl to do." She shrugged and stood, peering out the window up at the sky.

Chloe stared at her for a moment. There were times she didn't think Carmen quite had all her marbles. "Go away, Carmen. Leave. I don't ever want to see you again."

Carmen turned her blue eyes on the girl, trying to decide if Chloe was speaking from the heart or out of grief. "I'm not to blame for your parents dying, Chloe."

Chloe shook her head and responded coldly "Only in that it was not your hands that killed them. But it may as well have been."

Carmen sighed and stood. "Fine. Be a coward. Hide behind your grief. Here." She dropped a manila envelope into the girl's lap.

Chloe looked down at it, slowly lifting it and opening it. There were newspaper clippings and police reports inside. "What is this?" She rifled through. The headlines caught her attention. 'FAMILY TORTURED AND MURDERED OVER 2 WEEK PERIOD IN OWN HOME IN TURIN'. 'FAMILY STALKED FOR WEEKS DURING EUROPEAN VACATION BEFORE MURDER'.'EGYPTIAN POLICE STUMPED OVER SLAUGHTER OF AN ENTIRE ORPHANAGE'. She set down the papers, feeling sick to her stomach at the images burned into her brain. "So?" She shoved everything back in the folder, trying to regain her jumbled thoughts.

"That was all Alexander's work. He did that. For _fun_." Carmen emphasized the word 'fun'. "I managed to track him down, here, and find out who his next targets were." She looked meaningfully at Chloe.

"My family?" Chloe's eyes widened.

"Alexander was stalking you, Chloe. In another week or so.." Her green hair swung back and forth as Carmen shook her head. "So I gave him a distraction from his blood spree."

Chloe could hardly take it all in. "So they were going to die anyway?" Her lower lip trembled again.

Carmen nodded. "Yep. That's about the size of it. Are there any apples around here? She wandered around Chloe's room, hunting through the cupboards.

Chloe shoved everything back in the envelope. "So you did one good thing. But I think I'd rather be dead with my parents."

Carmen paused her foraging. "That's a rather silly thing to say."

"It's not silly!" Chloe snapped. "Everything that I know now, everything that I've had to live through…I wish I could just forget." She buried her face in her hands.

Carmen looked at her bent form, the image bringing up her own images from a time when she had been as innocent as Chloe. "You sound really pathetic right now."

Chloe's head sprang up. "Excuse me?" She snapped, standing up and looking at the demoness.

"Forgetting is easy – forgetting is a coward's way out."

"You seemed to be trying to do a good job forgetting something about your own life when I was at your trial." Chloe shot back, her fist's clenched.

Carmen's whole body went rigid.

"Just what were you trying so desperately to hide, anyway?" Chloe pushed, beyond caring anymore.

"I don't think there are any apples here." Carmen walked stiffly towards the door.

"That's great, just ignore the question and run away! You always do that! Why should I expect you to be any different? You know, there were moments when I thought you might actually be my friend!" Chloe was nearly shouting by this point. "Then you turn around and show the bitch you truly are! I was dumb; a person like you could NEVER be a friend to anyone!"

Carmen calmly shut the door behind herself and walked down the stairs.

"What happened?" Haru demanded, running up the stairs.

"She's hysterical, you should probably calm her down." The demoness continued walking. "You should take her to Austria as soon as her aunt and uncle can take her. And tell her I won't bother her again." Carmen opened and shut the front door just as smoothly and calmly as she had Chloe's door. But once outside she reached up to her face, wiping a single tear from her cheek.

Kurama stood on the tarmac next to Haru's plane. She was standing next to him, both of them watching silently as Haru loaded all her bags and then boarded the plane to give them some privacy. Chloe hadn't even looked directly at him since they had arrived.

"How long will you be gone?" Kurama asked, trying to break the awkward tension between them.

"I don't know." She kicked at a pebble with her shoe.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked bluntly, turning her to face him.

Chloe still wouldn't look at him. "No. It wasn't anything you did. I-…I just can't be here right now, and I can't be around you."

He felt a sharp pain in his chest. "I understand not being here, but..why can't you be around me? I know you're grieving, but-"

"Kurama, please." She swiped at her eyes. "When I look at you, I just see…everything that has happened to me. I see my parents' bodies, Ethan..I see Alexander's eyes, I see demon world, Carmen…everything I want so badly to forget." Her voice wavered; she was struggling so hard not to burst into tears.

Kurama wasn't sure how to respond. He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Chloe, I know you're hurting, but-"

"There's no 'but' here." She uncharacteristically interrupted him. "I don't know when, if ever, I'll be able to move past all of this. And you're part of everything I want to stay far away from, not matter if you try to distance yourself. It will follow you. I'm sorry." She closed her eyes, leaned up and kissed his cheek, and fled onto the plane.

A few weeks later Kurama found himself at Kuwabara's apartment. He reached out and pushed the doorbell, putting his hand back in his coat pocket. A moment later the door opened.

"Kurama." Kuwabara looked shocked.

"Hello Kuwabara."

Kurama leaned back in his chair after he finished telling Kuwabara the basics of everything that had happened.

Kuwabara whistled. "Wow. Who knew the fate of the world's lay in the hands of a treacherous mercenary. But," he leaned forward in his seat "one thing I still don't get is why she had that guy kidnap Chloe. It doesn't make any sense. What was the point?"

Kurama shrugged. "I have no idea. Carmen was never the most..forthcoming."

Kuwabara shook his head and leaned back. "Poor Chloe. She really got tossed into the deep end, huh? Man if I saw that Carmen again, I'd..I don't know what I'd do, but I'd make her regret what she did."

"I doubt we'll be seeing her again."

Kuwabara stood up. "Come on, let's go meet up with Yusuke and Keiko. I was supposed to meet them for dinner anyway." He grinned.

Kurama smiled faintly and stood up as well. "That sounds delightful."

Kurama buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he walked away from the restaurant. He'd patched things up with Kuwabara and Yusuke. Hiei would forgive him, eventually. For now he was just happy to have two of his friends back in his life. The night was completely silent, peaceful, as he climbed into the driver seat of his car and turned it on. He let it sit for a few minutes, giving it time to warm up.

Finally he put his hands on the cold steering wheel and put the car in reverse. He navigated out of the parking lot. His car began warming up once he got back on the road so he could finally relax a little. He turned on the radio and slowed to a stop at a stoplight. A pedestrian started crossing in front of his car.

He tapped the steering wheel absent-mindedly, his eyebrows furrowing when the woman stopped in front of his car. They pulled down the hood of their jacket and Kurama suddenly felt a familiar aura emanating from her: Mayuri.

"Shit…"

Pain. Burning pain. Kurama opened his eyes slowly. The world was a blur around him. He could hear the hum of a whispered conversation. He blinked, trying to clear his vision. Three shapes slowly came into focus: Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Hiei.

"Hey! He's waking up!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"What happened?" Kurama asked hoarsely.

"That Mayuri chick tried to kill you again. How the hell did she survive what we did to her back in the cave?" Kuwabara asked.

"That was a clone." Hiei spoke from his position on the window seat.

Kurama started to sit up, only to go back down when a searing pain ripped across his chest. "Is she dead?" He asked to distract them from his grimace.

"Yeah. Carmen-"

"We all helped." Hiei spoke over Yusuke, sending him a warning look.

Kurama looked at Hiei. "Carmen was there." It wasn't really a question.

Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Look, Hiei doesn't want to say it, but Carmen saved your life. We didn't show up until after she'd, um, finished off Mayuri."

Hiei pointedly looked out the window.

Kurama leaned back into his pillow. He could never quite figure Carmen out. Why was she in the area? Why had she helped? She'd seemed angry enough at him the last time he saw her.

Carmen pushed open the doors to Eric's establishment, walking in and sinking into a chair. Her head felt like a thousand knives were being driven into her skull, and her shoulder… She looked down ruefully at her left arm, which she had wrapped tight to her body. Mayuri had both dislocated her shoulder and broken her arm at the elbow. She closed her eyes, trying to mentally shield herself from the pain.

Eric came out of his back rooms, stopping short when he saw her. "Carmen, you're back!" He exclaimed, relief washing over him.

Carmen nodded. "You didn't think I'd stay away forever, did you?" She tried to smirk, but it was more of a grimace. "You need to bring me a bottle of something and set my arm – twice."

"What happened?" He asked once he'd fetched bandages and a bottle of vodka.

Carmen took a long drink from the bottle. "Set now, questions later." She grit her teeth and took another long drink.

Eric took hold of her should and swiftly shoved it back in place.

Carmen growled low in her throat but showed no other signs of pain.

Eric then grabbed both her forearm and elbow and straightened it out.

Carmen's blue eyes rolled wildly and she grabbed the bottle so hard it shattered in her grip.

Eric opened her hand and picked out the pieces of glass before he wrapped the gauze around her lacerated palm. "Wanna tell me who you were fighting?" He asked again, tying it off and beginning to examine her head.

"Mayuri, one of Kurama's enemies. She nearly killed him before I was able to get there." She spoke softly, very seriously.

"But you stopped her?"

"I killed her."

"You know that will have repercussions."

"Not like the ones if I had let her live one minute longer."

Eric nodded and wiped some blood off of her forehead. "I should probably tell you that you have a visitor."

"Hello Carmen."

Carmen stood abruptly, her eyes focused on the black haired woman standing at the base of the stairs leading upstairs. The woman wore a strapless white dress that reached down to the floor, her bare toes just peeking out from the bottom edge. "Kali!"

The woman smiled and walked over, her bare feet moving soundlessly over the floor. She stopped in front of Carmen, suddenly breaking into light laughter. "Devi, you did it!"

Carmen felt a wave of relief wash over her. "It's Carmen now, actually. But, I fixed it? For real this time?"

Kali nodded, her violet eyes sparkling. "You'll always be Devi to me. And yes, as soon as you killed Mayuri time was corrected."

Carmen let out a breath of air and sat down in the chair. Suddenly she tilted back her head and laughed, a light, joyful laugh. "It's certainly been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

"You took your time, that's for sure." Kali smiled. "Are you ready to come back now?"

The smile slid off Carmen's face. "Come back? Why would I do that?"

Kali seemed taken aback. "Because you fixed it. Your punishment is finished."

Carmen drummed her fingers on the table. "I don't want to see them."

Eric opened his mouth, then shut it again. He knew that look in her eyes.

"They're waiting for you. They've been anxious about you so many times, they just want you safe again."

Carmen snorted. "They're the ones that banished me to this realm. If they were so damn worried they shouldn't have sent me here."

"But-"

"No 'but's!" Carmen stood suddenly, sending the chair skittering backwards. "For all I care right now they can go to hell." She stalked over to the bar, angrily searching through the bottles for something she liked.

"What are you holding out for Devi?" Kali glided over to the bar, her voice soothing as if talking to a skittish animal. "I told you I don't know how to bring that future bac-"

"I don't care if the chances are next to none." Carmen turned her blue eyes fiercely upon her friend. "I have to wait for him. I have to try."

Eric and Kali exchanged a resigned glance. "Very well." Kali leaned over the bar, meeting Carmen's gaze. "I'll stay with you for one year. If you haven't succeeded by then, will you at least consider leaving this realm?"

Carmen looked to Eric, who nodded, then back at Kali. "Fine!" She threw up her good arm. "How am I supposed to fight both of you? I promise that if I haven't found him or he hasn't appeared in the future again, I will _**consider**_ leaving. And that's all you're getting out of me."

* * *

A/N: I feel really bad for Chloe sometimes while I'm writing this. She really got shafted by life. But, hopefully I get the next chapter out soon so you can find out how she handles everything. These next couple chapters should be awesome as questions are answered and you get to find out what happens with Chloe and Kurama :) Please review and let me know what you think!


	16. New Beginnings

Kurama lay on his bed one night, pondering the previous year of his life. He'd returned to school, maintained contact with Yusuke and Kuwabara and Hiei, and even helped out the current spirit detective with a couple of problems. He'd even tried to go on some dates. But in his head he was constantly analyzing them to see how *he thought* they would handle him telling them about his demon side. That invariably led to thinking about Chloe, about the fact that he didn't have to explain that to her, that-

He sighed and shook his head. His thoughts, when not occupied with school, always seemed to go back to her. It had been a year to the day since she'd gotten on that plane and walked out of his life. He knew he should move on, but he couldn't seem to move past her. He rolled over and close his eyes. Tomorrow was day 366 since she'd flown away; as good a time as any to start something new.

* * *

Chloe leaned back in her chair and laughed. She and Haru had just finished a late lunch. "Did he really try to claim that he was 'just giving her a physical exam'? In court?"

Haru nodded and wiped his mouth. "Yep. The judge didn't even pretend to believe him."

Chloe wiped at her eyes and set her napkin on the table. "No surprise there. Who would?!"

Haru chuckled, then cleared his throat. "Chlo? There's a question..I wanted to ask you."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You're being oddly enigmatic. What's up?"

He motioned to a waiter, who brought a tray forward holding a little black box.

Chloe picked it up, her eyes wide. In her head she was praying desperately that it wasn't what she thought it was. Slowly she lifted the lid, her eyes getting wider, if that was possible.

Haru leaned forward and placed his hands on hers. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

A week later Chloe stepped off the plane in Japan, her brown eyes taking in the familiar place. She took a deep breath, found her bag, and hurried out to a taxi. "Osaka University!" She told the driver.

* * *

Chloe bit her lip and looked down at the map of the university campus for the fifth time. She lifted her gym bag onto her shoulder and set off down a path. Fifteen minutes later she looked up at the apartment building before her and took a deep breath. "It's now or never." She straightened her shoulders and walked to the front door, running her finger down until she found the right number. Once she found it she pushed the button and waited.

"Hello?"

She felt her stomach flutter when she heard his voice. "Shuichi?" It was almost a whisper, but she heard his breath hitch.

"Chloe?"

"Can I come up?"

"Of course."

Chloe pulled open the door when she heard the buzzing. She pushed the button for the elevator and waited, her stomach fluttering nervously. Once in she pushed the button for his floor and leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. She hadn't seen or spoken to him in a year. Would he be mad at her? Would he have moved on a gotten a girlfriend? There were so many unknown variables. She chewed her lip, her old nervous habits coming out again.

Finally the elevator stopped and she got out. The hallway seemed to stretch out forever in front of her; she kept putting one foot in front of the other. She stopped at the end, stretched out her hand and knocked.

The door opened.

Shuiichi looked down at her. She looked up at him.

"Hello."

"H-Hi. Can I come in?"

He nodded and stepped back, motioning for her to enter.

She walked in, slipping off her gym bag as he shut the door behind her. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" She asked, turning to face him. His apartment wasn't that tiny, but right now it made her a little claustrophobic.

"Not at all. I was just finishing up some research. Would you like something to drink?" He took a step towards the kitchen.

"No, thank you. Actually, I was..hoping you might go for a walk with me."

He paused, then nodded. "I'll put some outdoor shoes on." He walked back to his bedroom, leaving her to try and collect her thoughts. He returned in a few minutes with shoes and a jacket on. He held open the door for her, locking it behind them.

She walked silently next to him while they exited the building, her mind racing, unsure of where to begin. Since she didn't know the school, she let him take the lead as they wandered away from his building. After a few minutes of silence she took a deep breath and started. "I'm sorry."

He glanced at her. "For what?"

"I'm sorry for running away like that, and I'm sorry for not calling this past year."

He touched her arm and motioned to a bench, sitting down before he spoke again. "I understand why you did it. I wouldn't have stayed around me either."

Chloe turned so she was facing him on the bench and reached over to touch his shoulder. "You have been nothing but kind and supportive to me. When I grouped you in with Carmen and Alexander, that wasn't fair – I was throwing everything you'd shown me in your face. And I'm sincerely sorry for that."

Kurama looked at her, his green eyes seeming to search for something. Now that he looked, her hair was much shorter than it had been. Her face hadn't changed much, but her eyes were so different from the last time he'd seen her; older, wiser, peaceful. "You sound like you've changed a lot during your time in Austria."

She smiled a little and nodded. "Austria was good for me. I met some good people, I got to know my aunt and uncle better, and I got to travel around Europe."

"Sounds like you had a good time."

She turned so she was facing forward on the bench again. "Yes…and no. I wasn't there for sightseeing – I was there trying to recover from losing my entire family. You can't really have a good time when you're trying to move past that."

"I-"

"Wait, please. I'm not finished yet." She placed her hand on his arm. "I'd be lying if I said I was completely better, but I am doing so much better than I was. And I've grown up a lot in the last year. It's weird, but I learned so much when I started looking back on everything that happened to me."

Kurama smiled, looking down at her hand on his arm. "That's wonderful to hear. Did…was Haru with you during all of this?"

Chloe nodded. "He never left my side, even when I wanted him to. He even proposed to me a week ago."

Kurama felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably. "What did you say?"

Chloe stood up and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Let's walk some more."

She hadn't answered the question. Kurama stood up, his mind reeling. He hadn't thought that Haru would propose, least of all on the heels of her family's murder. Mercifully she didn't leave him hanging for long.

"Haru's my best friend in the whole world, and I love him dearly. I wanted to say yes. I tried to say yes." She licked her lips. "But as soon as I opened my mouth to say yes, I couldn't breathe. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn't marry Haru. I love him, but not the way you have to love somebody if you're going to marry them. Plus I'm still working through my grief. That's not the time to accept an offer of marriage – the offer is twenty times as tempting just because of wanting to fill the void inside."

Kurama felt relieved on the one hand because she'd turned down Haru, but a little sad that she hadn't turned Haru down because of him. "How did he take it?"

"As well as could be hoped. We're still friends. He said he wants me to be happy, regardless of if that's with him or with someone else. All the same, he's taking a long trip by himself. But," she grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop facing her "there was another reason I turned him down. The first thought in my head when he proposed was of you. I…I know I ran away from you, but I never stopped caring for you. I wasn't running away from you so much as from" she waved her hand in a vague circle "everything that happened. I was trying to outrun my grief, and I'm so sorry." Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

Kurama looked down the path, his thoughts inward. "But you did run away from me." He spoke finally. "You left because I am..different." His green eyes watched as a pair of students walked past them. "That part of my life isn't going away. It will always be a part of my life. What's to stop you from running away again?"

She looked down at the ground, her cheeks flushing. She'd thought, naively, that all she had to do was came back, apologize, and he would just take her back. Easy as that; apparently not. "I'm not scared anymore." She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "I ran because I was scared. I was scared of you, I was scared of everything I had seen, I was scared of what you are, I was scared of being alone, I-" Her voice cracked and she looked away hastily, her eyes filling up with tears. "I guess I shouldn't say I'm not scared anymore, because demons and everything like that still scare the hell out of me." She swiped at her eyes and looked at him again. "But I'm not letting that fear control me anymore."

Kurama contemplated her. He wanted to believe her. But his was not a nature that forgave easily. He was mercifully saved from having to respond by raised voices coming from around the corner of the building they were passing. He felt a coldness run through his stomach when he recognized one of the voices – Carmen.

"How the hell could you keep something like that from me?!" She shouted, followed by the sound of something large crashing.

"Because I knew that if YOU knew, then I'd never get you to leave this damn place!" A woman neither Kurama nor Chloe recognized was backed up against the building, a dented dumpster to her left, the hem of her white dress getting filthy from the dirty water in the alley.

"How long have you know?!" Carmen looked absolutely furious.

Chloe stared openly. She hadn't seen Carmen this livid before.

Eric grabbed Carmen's arms, pushing her back. "Calm down, Carmen." His voice was calm, but stern.

"You calm down!" She snapped, pushing him aside and lunging at Kali.

Eric was too quick and caught her waist from behind, throwing his weight backwards. "Stop this Carmen! She told you now, so what's the problem?"

"I swear I only saw him yesterday. But like I said, I knew you wouldn't even consider leaving this place if you knew that there was the slightest chance of seeing him again!" Kali glared at her friend.

Carmen pushed Eric's hands off her waist and leapt over to Kali, raising her fist and slamming it into the wall next to the woman's head. "You had no right to keep that from me! You nearly had me actually believing that that line was irreversibly gone, that there was no reason for me to stay here anymore! Chloe and Kurama hate me, so without any chance of him reappearing I would have nothing to lose." Carmen's voice had dropped low for the last sentence, her golden eyes flashing dangerously.

Kali swallowed. She had misjudged Carmen's affection for him.

Chloe pulled Kurama unwillingly into the alley. "Carmen? Eric?"

The three demons seemed to suddenly realize they had an audience.

Carmen took a deep breath, calming herself down before turning away from Kali. "What are _you_ doing here?" She asked dryly.

"We were out taking a walk. What's going on?" Chloe responded. She could tell Carmen was still unsettled.

"They were just having an argument." Eric responded, coming closer. "It's good to see you guys."

Chloe nodded, her brown eyes taking in the beat up dumpster, the multiple holes in the wall. "We can see that." She smiled a little.

"Would you guys like to go get some drinks? I know these two could use something to calm things down a bit." Eric motioned to Carmen and Kali.

Chloe looked at Kurama, unsure of his wishes.

Kurama didn't really want to be in Carmen's company, but then again she had saved his life. "We are not pressed for time." He assured the girl.

"Then we're in."

* * *

Eric balanced five glasses in his hands, managing to not spill and set them on the little table successfully. "Here you go everyone." He passed out the drinks, taking a good swig from his own.

Carmen downed hers and motioned for another from a passing server.

Kali sighed and took a sip from her own. "Carmen, you really are cantankerous sometimes, you know that?"

Carmen snorted. "Only when people hide things from me." Her smile was pleasant, but fake.

Eric leaned down to Chloe to whisper "Change the topic."

Chloe looked at him, then at Carmen. "Carmen, what are you?"

Carmen looked at her, a little bit of contempt in the lines of her face. "Haven't you figured that out yet?"

Chloe's eyes narrowed, but she shook her head. "No. I mean, I had my suspicions, but I never did figure it out."

Carmen rolled her eyes but remained silent.

"And what did you think, Kurama?" Eric asked, trying to keep the conversation moving.

Kurama shook his head. "Frankly I didn't either, not for sure at any rate. But it would appear that she is something akin to the goddesses from the fairytales of Yoko's childhood."

Kali chuckled. "Not akin to – one of."

Chloe's eyes were wide. "Y-you're a goddess?!"

Carmen snorted. "You really are quite dumb sometimes Chloe." She finished off her drink and motioned for another.

Chloe pursed her lips, then suddenly exploded "Carmen, don't talk to me like that."

All eyes turned first on Chloe, then on Carmen.

Carmen cocked her head a little. "I'll talk to you how I damn please." She replied coolly.

"This is why you don't have friends Carmen. You treat them like shit." Chloe hopped out of her chair and walked off towards the bathroom.

Carmen sat there for a minute, tapping her finger angrily on the table.

"Just have another drink, give her a few minutes to cool off." Eric waved, trying to get the attention of a server.

Carmen knocked her chair backwards as she jumped out of it and walked furiously after Chloe.

Kurama started to get up, but Eric put a hand on his arm. "Let them sort it; Carmen's not used to having anyone talk to her like that. She won't take kindly to having any of us around. With the mood she's in she'd as like as not try to start a fight with one of us."

"What was the argument Chloe and I walked in on about?" Kurama asked, uneasily glancing at the door Carmen had just followed Chloe into.

Eric and Kali looked at each other. "I didn't tell her that I had seen the timeline with the love of her life. If she hadn't found out, I might have been able to convince her to leave this realm."

Kurama was a little shocked. "Leave this realm? Can't she come and go as she pleases?"

Kali laughed lightly. "Hardly. In any case, Carmen was banished here as punishment, so she wasn't allowed to leave until she'd righted the timeline, which she screwed up in the first place, I might add."

Kurama took a sip of his drink, trying to wrap his head around the new information. "Why was she banished here?"

Eric snorted. "Have you interacted with Carmen at all? She's the most abrasive creature I've ever met."

"So, she had a fight with the other...gods?"

Kali nodded. "That's about the size of it. Back when they created these realms, though of course they were all one at the time, Devi took an issue with how they wanted to run the world. It got…heated, and they combined their powers and banished here until she had learned that what they had decided was best. Devi, unconsciously at first admittedly, set out to fix what she considered the wrong her fellow gods and goddesses had committed against the world. She has a much larger heart for mortals than any of the rest of us."

Kurama's head was reeling. That had not been his impression of Carmen at all. "Is Devi her true name?" He asked, trying to absorb everything that he was hearing.

Kali shrugged. "It was her first name, but she has many."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Kurama asked, a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "If all of this has been such a great secret, why would you break it all of a sudden, for no reason?"

Kali threw back her head and laughed. "You think this has all been a secret? Just because you all have forgotten doesn't mean we've been actively quashing any knowledge of it. We care little if mortals know about our presence when we're in our realm or not."

"But Carmen was always so secretive."

"Carmen has a flare for the dramatic; she's also intensely private. But we do try and mask our presence when we are down here because, let's face it, the reactions are usually not the most pleasant. Everyone will want to fight us or ask us for something. Bring this person back to life, change this about their life, etc." Kali waved her hand.

Kurama looked at the bathroom door, wondering if he should go check on them.

* * *

Carmen burst through the bathroom, shutting and locking it behind herself. "You have something to say to me, say it."

Chloe looked at the green-haired goddess in the mirror. "I already said it."

"Are you angry at me, huh Chloe?" Carmen stalked over, spinning the girl around to look at her. "Spit it out, whatever's eating you, just get it off your chest."

"I'm not angry at you Carmen." Chloe's eyes burned into Carmen's. "However, your personality still bugs the crap out of me. You say mean things and you don't care who it hurts. You are inconsiderate and you think that humans are so pathetic, but at least we know how to be civil. In the year since I saw you last I've changed, and I don't take abuse from anyone, I don't care if you're a demon or goddess or deity or whatever you are. I won't just silently put up with it anymore. If you want to be my friend, fine, but don't expect me to let you walk all over me anymore."

Carmen smiled wryly. "Chloe, that's just who I am. If you really want to be my friend, you've got to understand that."

"No, I don't accept that. You don't treat Eric that way and you seem closer to him than to anybody else."

Carmen got a faraway look in her eyes. "I respect him too much to ever behave like that to him."

"How did he earn your respect? Because I'd sure as hell like to know how to get there."

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "You've sworn more now than I ever heard you do before. It's most unattractive." She turned her yellow eyes onto the mirror. "How did he earn my respect?" She smiled wryly at herself, bringing her fingers up and running their tips down an invisible scar along her jawbone. "He brought me back from a path of pure destruction."

"How?" She pressed, not sure why Carmen was being so forthright, but anxious to take advantage of her candidness.

"When he met me I was concerned only with spilling blood. I was angry at the world, at demons, at the gods, at myself. You have serial killers here that kill a person every week and you call him a monster. I…" She trailed off, seeming to get lost in her own thoughts.

Chloe could hear the raw pain in Carmen's voice. "You what?" She pressed again, both curious and yet a little afraid of what Carmen would tell her.

Carmen straightened up, placing both hands on the counter. "I slaughtered hundreds every day. Every morning was a war, with everyone. The more I killed, the more numb I felt. As long as I kept killing, I didn't have to face my own pain. Every day was judged by how many I had murdered. Men, women, children, I cared not, so long as they had a beating heart for me to stop. I-" Carmen stopped, blinking her eyes rapidly as if to blink back tears.

Chloe was unsure of what to do. She'd never seen Carmen this vulnerable before.

Finally Carmen continued. "There was no good in me. I was the monster of your worst nightmares." She turned to face Chloe. "I have spent thousands of years trying to become a better creature. I'm not good at it. I never claimed to be a good person, Chloe; you assumed. All your disappointment is a product of your own misconceptions. Stop trying to hold me up to your own standards."

"You wouldn't have tried to change if you did not think it was wrong." Chloe countered.

Carmen stared hard at the girl before her, who seemed so different from the timid girl she knew before. "You sound like someone that I once knew." She murmured, her eyes clouding suddenly so she turned away. "Pray cease your great expectations from me – I cannot meet them. Take me as I am, or leave my sight." She unlocked the door and walked out, leaving Chloe confused and shocked at what she had heard.

Carmen slapped the back of Eric's head as she returned to her seat. "Next time you spike my drink to make me more talkative I'll chop your hand off." She glared playfully at him and took his drink.

Chloe followed shortly to her own chair, giving Kurama a reassuring smile.

"So, Kurama, what-" Eric stopped when Kali grabbed his arm tightly.

"Carmen." She kept her voice low, her eyes focused towards the door. "Do you see that woman who just came in?"

Carmen turned her head. A woman was standing at the counter. She looked about twenty, blonde, and very attractive. She was buying a couple of bottles from the bartender, chatting with him familiarly. "The one at the counter?"

Kali nodded. "She's in his timeline."

Carmen flew out of her chair, struggling against the crowd of people that suddenly began moving their direction.

The woman saw the sudden movement and her eyes went wide. She grabbed the bottles and bolted out the door, moving faster than was possible for a human.

Carmen made one last violent shove through the throng, losing not a second in pursuing the woman out the door. She paused only a moment to smell the air before turning on her heel and launching herself to the right. She was so close to finding him again, she was not going to miss this opportunity, whatever winds that woman was being sped upon!

Meanwhile, back at the bar…

Eric sipped his beer quietly, glancing briefly at Kali before returning his gaze to the table.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Chloe had not looked away from the door since Carmen had run out.

Kali shook her head. "No, she's a fair distance from here. We can just wait until she stops and then go after her."

"How do you know where she is?" Chloe asked, confused.

Kali smiled amusedly. "You know that demons can sense the aura of a living being, yes?"

Chloe looked at Kurama, nodding her head hesitantly. "I think I remember something of the sort."

"Well I have that same ability, but with perfect precision. I can see where every mortal being is at any given time."

"How do you keep them all straight?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide with wonder. She couldn't imagine what that would be like.

Kali just smiled more widely. "In this body it is a little confusing, I will admit. Mortals' brains were not equipped to handle the knowledge of the gods. We did not foresee any need for that. But once I focus on who I want, then there is absolutely no problem."

"Who is this man that Carmen is so desperate to find?" Kurama asked after a few moments of silence had passed.

Kali and Eric glanced at each other. "That's not for us to tell." Eric responded quietly.

"So we must wait for Carmen to tell us? That may never happen!" Chloe exclaimed.

Kali smiled. "Don't worry. You'll know soon enough. They appear to be slowing down. We should probably get going if we want to see the conclusion to this chase."

* * *

Carmen raised her fist and knocked on the door in front of her, breathing heavily. The woman had gone in here, she knew that. "Look, I know you're in there. I just want to talk, I swear." She waited, her acute hearing listening for any sounds of the woman leaving out a back door or making another attempt at escape.

"Carmen!" Chloe called as the four of them ran up to the steps.

Carmen gave them the barest glance, then knocked again. "Please, I only want to talk."

Slowly the door opened a small amount. The blonde haired woman looked out suspiciously. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Grace, who's there?" A male voice called from further back in the house.

Carmen seemed frozen.

The woman, Grace, opened the door all the way. "You're her. You're Cailyn."

Carmen nodded, stepping inside. "Where is he?"

Grace motioned down a set of stairs. "Oh, but Cailyn," she put a hand on her arm "he…is not exactly how you remember him."

Carmen looked at Grace for a moment, then descended the stairs. She turned the corner, halting abruptly as if hitting a wall. A large room lay before her, windowless, with a fire crackling in a fireplace. In front of it sat a man, the only light in the room coming from the fire, thus casting the majority of him in shadow.

"Grace?" His head turned slightly. "Who was that at the door?"

Carmen felt as if she couldn't breathe. "Alexei?"

* * *

A/N: Well finally, here is the next chapter! Please let me know what you thought about this chapter. Also, I'd be interested to know what you all think about Carmen. She's one of my favorite characters, despite her flaws and abrasiveness. I hope you enjoyed it! :)


	17. Forgiveness

A/N: Sorry it took so long guys! But here's another chapter for you all. I think this is probably the next to last chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"Alexei?"

The man stiffened, his head turning imperceptibly towards the entryway. "Grace, why do you sound so strange?"

"I'm not Grace." Carmen spoke softly, unable to bring herself to walk towards him.

He turned his head towards her, eyes unseeing. "Cailyn?" He grabbed a cane leaning against his chair and stood up, limping towards the entryway with his free hand outstretched.

Carmen swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in the back of her throat. She'd been searching for him so long, now to finally have him there, right in front of her…she didn't know how to react.

Alexei was to the doorway in record time, stopping when his outstretched hand bumped into her stomach. He slid his hand up to her face, his fingertips softly exploring her features. He dropped his cane and brought his other hand up. "Good god!" He exclaimed softly. "You're real."

Carmen nodded, her lower lip quivering. "You're alive." Her voice trembled with emotion, and silent tears began sliding down her cheeks, unchecked.

He felt one of her tears drop onto his hand. "Are you crying?" He gently rubbed her cheek. "Don't cry, Cailyn, don't cry…" He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers; he enfolded her in his arms, holding her tight.

Chloe stared in open amazement from the top of the stairs. "Who is that? Why she crying?" She whispered to Eric.

"That, is Alexei." He responded quietly, leaning against the wall. "She's been searching for him for several thousand years."

"What?" Chloe could hardly believe her ears. "Several thousand years?"

Eric nodded. "Almost every move she's made since she lost him has been to find him again. It's the kind of love people can only dream about."

Chloe said nothing. She hadn't thought Carmen capable of feeling that kind of affection for anyone, much less have them return the emotion. "What happened to him?" She asked, her eyes taking in his scar streaked face and arms.

"He was a prisoner of war." Grace motioned for them to follow her into the living room.

"What war?" Chloe continued, smiling a little when Kurama took the seat beside her.

"Not a war either of you would know about." She looked at Kurama and Chloe when she said this.

"You might be surprised what all I know." Kurama said pleasantly, his mind running through Yoko's vast knowledge of history.

Eric chuckled. "This was the revolution that marked the separation of the realms. King Enma himself was not even born yet."

Grace nodded. "I wasn't around at that time myself, but he has told me the main points of what's happened to him."

"How did you end up caring for him?" Eric asked.

"I took over when my mum died. My family has been his protector for generations."

"Why does he need so much protecting?" Kurama asked, curious. Being a prisoner of war in a demon war would result in many injuries, if not death, but Alexei was still alive and standing, so…

Grace looked a little sad. "He's blind, for starters. His right leg was…mangled and is hardly functional, can hardly bear weight without buckling. About once a day he has violent seizures thanks to what they did to his eyes and head. His left arm is somewhat paralyzed, so it has a hard time feeling hot or cold, and he can't grip things well with that hand. Need I go on?"

"Poor guy." Chloe breathed out.

All eyes turned on her. "Poor guy is right." Grace spoke, sighing. "He can't take care of himself, which for a demon is a hundred times worse than for a human. He bears it well, but…" She trailed off with a shrug.

"He's lucky his captors let him live." Kurama spoke solemnly.

Grace shook her head. "Not lucky. Living was their last torture for him."

Chloe was horrified. Demons seemed to all be horrifically brutal, with or without good incentive.

Downstairs…

Carmen broke the kiss and pulled back a little. "Let me look at you."

He stood quietly, his eyes staring blankly past her shoulder.

She took in the horrible scars on his face and neck, on his arms the scars running up his arms and disappearing beneath his shirt.

"Well? Still- ugh…" His brows furrowed suddenly in pain, and he brought his hands up to his eyes. "Move me out of the light."

Carmen wrapped her arm around his waist and guided him back into the darkness where the sunlight no longer touched his face. "Light hurts your eyes?"

He nodded, rubbing his temples. "That's why this room has no more than the fire, and even that has a screen in front of it. I get terrible migraines if I'm not careful."

Carmen stepped back to the doorway and picked up his cane, running her hands along its smooth surface, her face sorrowful. "If you- I mean, if I'd know that you…" She willed herself not to cry again. "If I'd had any idea that you might be alive, I never would have left you there."

Alexei stretched out his hand, feeling for her. "Cailyn, don't do this to yourself."

Carmen grabbed his hand and kissed it. "Compared to what you suffer, this is nothing." She smiled wryly, her eyes expressing the guilt he didn't want her to feel.

He slid his hand up her arm to her face and cupped her cheek. "Listen to me. You are in no way to blame for this. We both went in to that suicide mission. If you came out relatively unharmed, so much the better. But that does not make you responsible for what they did to me. They were responsible, no one else."

Carmen looked at him for a moment. Suddenly she flung herself on him and crushed her lips against his with the fierceness of thousands of years of unsatisfied passion. He stumbled back; his right leg buckled and sent them tumbling to the floor. Neither seemed to notice or care. Alexei wrapped his arms around her and held her tight; she held him no less securely.

"God I've missed you." He whispered.

Carmen smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm never going to leave your side again." But she wasn't interested in talking with him. Not right now, at any rate.

The next day…

Chloe lay in her bed, her arms under her head, staring up at the hotel ceiling. She and Kurama hadn't had much of a chance to talk yesterday since before they'd run into Carmen. Then she'd pled jet lag and gone to a hotel to spend the night.

"Yeah, because I got much sleep." She sighed. She'd lain awake the whole night, her mind running through everything that had happened since that first night she'd met Carmen, and running through every detail of her conversation with Kurama yesterday.

'_Do I even have a chance with him still?'_

She bit her lip fretfully. Kurama had seemed...less than ecstatic at her appearance yesterday. She sighed again and rolled onto her side. She didn't really know what she'd expected when she appeared on his doorstep, but she'd thought… "Presumed, you mean." She corrected herself aloud. Yes, presumed, that he would forgive her and take her back, easy as that.

Carmen lay awake on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Alexei slept soundly, his right arm draped across her stomach. The fire had died down a while ago, but the coals were still smoldering, giving just the barest amount of light to the windowless room. A step on the stairs creaked. Carmen saw a shadow flicker by the door. She saw a crossbow take aim at the bed. The same moment she heard the _thwang _of the arrow being let loose, she grabbed Alexei's arm and rolled off the bed away from the attacker. The arrow embedded itself in the bed, and Carmen could hear the assassin reloading the bow.

"What's going on?" Alexei whispered.

"Just stay here." Carmen grabbed his shirt laying on the floor and pulled it over her head. She grabbed the edge of the bed and pulled herself up to launch at the door. But the attacker had predicted her move and shot his arrow a split second before. It caught her in the stomach and pinned her to the wall.

"Cailyn!" Alexei heard her yowl of pain.

Carmen looked down at the thick arrow protruding from her stomach, then up at the assassin. "You've just signed your own death warrant." She broke the shaft of the arrow and leapt away, leaving part of it still sticking in the wall. She landed by her things, hurriedly pulling her sword out of the sheath. She whirled around just in time for the assassin's crossbow to finish its swing and clock her in the side of the head, sending her flying across the room. She crashed into the chair by the fire and tumbled to the ground, her head reeling from the blow.

The assassin moved within sight of Alexei, and took aim.

Carmen stood up, blood gushing down the side of her head and part of her face, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Shoot that arrow and I'll send you to a place far worse than hell." She spoke calmly, but there was a deadly tone in her voice.

The assassin didn't even hesitate; they pulled the trigger.

The arrow barely made it out of its cradle before it dropped harmlessly to the ground.

"I warned you what would happen if you shot that arrow." Carmen whispered in their ear, suddenly standing right beside them. The next instant Carmen threw them to the ground and straddled them, slapping their hands aside and placing her own on either side of the masked intruders head. She stared into their widening brown eyes, a blue glow spreading throughout her body. "Nenthe thoth. Gremein cul no."

The intruder's struggles stopped, and their breathing began to grow short and labored.

"Cailyn, no!" Alexei found his way to his feet, walking cautiously towards the sound of Cailyn's voice.

The blue glow slowly dissipated and the intruder's breathing began returning to normal. "Who sent you?" Carmen hissed.

The intruder said nothing, just glared.

Carmen reached down and ripped the mask off, revealing a brown-eyed, blue-skinned demon. "Answer me." She growled.

"That's enough Carmen, let her be."

Carmen and Alexei both turned towards the doorway. "Kali." Carmen's voice was calm and unsurprised.

"Will you let him up now? I'm the one that sent him, he's just a mercenary for hire." Kali walked over to the fireplace and began stirring the coals and adding some small pieces of wood to build the fire up again.

Carmen stood up and the demon disappeared out the doorway.

"Who is that Cailyn? Why did she call you Carmen?" Alexei asked, stopping walking once his hands had found her.

Carmen placed a hand over the wound in her abdomen, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her head. "Her name is Kali. She's a goddess I created. Carmen is the name I've been going by the last few thousand years." She answered his questions mechanically, her mind churning, trying to sort out this latest puzzle. "Why did you send an assassin here?" She demanded.

Kali stirred the coals again, her face suddenly lighting up when the wood burst into flames. "It was in your best interest." She put the poker aside and leaned against the bricks. "You've taken on a huge responsibility. I wanted to be sure you could handle it."

Carmen's eyes narrowed. "So you send someone to try and kill Alexei? That's the most boneheaded thing I've ever heard. You know all I've gone through to find him, everything that I've done to get here. Did you really think that was going to earn you any favor from me?"

Kali smiled wryly. "I wasn't trying to earn your favor. I was trying to open your eyes to what you were bringing to him."

Alexei put an arm reassuringly around Carmen's waist. "I already know what to expect. I know Cailyn, er, Carmen has enemies."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea all that Carmen has done since she lost you. The trouble that follows her is astonishing at times."

Carmen raised her head defiantly. "With Alexander dead, much of that trouble is gone. In any case, you aren't seriously suggesting that I'm incapable of fending off something that _a mortal_, whether human or demon, can throw at me, are you?"

Kali shrugged. "Now that you have access to all your goddess powers, of course you are highly capable. However, your emotions cloud your judgment. Are you sure you can defend both yourself _and_ Alexei? You won't be able to run away from a fight – he can't run."

Carmen stalked over to Kali, seeming to tower over her friend, despite being shorter. "Thank you for your concern, but it is unnecessary. I am more than capable of protecting him as far as my help is required. As for my emotions, you are misinformed. They do not cloud my judgment – they spur me to fight harder, to fight longer, to fight fiercer."

Kali began to realize she may have made a fatal mistake threatening Alexei.

"If you ever send an assassin after him again, I will end you." Carmen's voice was cold. "Leave. My. Sight."

Kali bowed her head in acquiescence and went up the stairs.

"Cailyn? I mean, Carmen? I'll have to get used to that." Alexei stretched out his hand, waiting for her to take it.

"Don't. I prefer Cailyn." She squeezed his arm as she walked past, then pulled the arrow out of the wall, her eyes looking down at the blood-soaked weapon.

"Are you hurt Cailyn? I smell blood." He limped to the bed, using it as support to get him to the side where she stood.

"No. I mean, yes, but I've had worse."

"Let me take a look."

"You're funny." She smiled wryly, but brought his hand first to her stomach, then to her head. She stood still as his fingers carefully explored the wound on her head, then trailed down to the worse injury on her abdomen. "You need stitches. Where's my cane?"

Carmen smiled and handed it to him. "Is this one of your superpowers?" She asked playfully.

He laughed. "Nope. But you know your way around a needle." He limped over to a wardrobe and began searching through some of the inner drawers.

Carmen sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding the arrow. She pulled off his ruined shirt and began wiping away what blood hadn't dried yet.

Alexei came back holding a med box, sitting down next to her and dropping his cane.

"You know I could just heal this up, right?"

"Yeah I know." He poured alcohol on some gauze. Using one hand he felt for both the wound and the blood, and with the other he used the gauze to wipe and clean. "But that's the easy way. Besides, what's the point in using your powers when you don't have to?"

Carmen smiled ever so slightly. "You still believe that?

He nodded, his blind grey eyes seeming to look both at her and through her. "Of course. You don't?"

"I don't know anymore. Not using my powers hasn't been an option for…a while."

Alexei paused his ministrations, bringing one hand up to her face to read her expression. "I think when we finish this you should tell everything that's happened to you since we lost each other. I'll share with you as well, but it will be very boring compared to your story." He spoke softly, knowing from her expression and voice that her past was not pleasant.

She placed a hand over his, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "It's going to pain you." She whispered softly. "A lot."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I can take it. I'm in pain every moment, I'm not afraid of it anymore. Now let's get you stitched up."

Carmen ripped open a sterile needle and thread, looking at it for a moment before beginning to close up her wound. The physical pain was pleasant, because it distracted her for a moments from her churning thoughts.

Chloe drummed her fingers on the café table. She glanced at the clock, nervously shifted her hat, straightened her shirt, and began drumming again. Kurama had agreed to meet her for breakfast at eight. It was now seven fifty-eight. The bell over the door jingled and she turned around expectantly. A young couple, hand-in-hand, came in, looking very happy. With a sigh she turned back around and slouched down in her seat. "Why are you so nervous? It's just breakfast."

"You're nervous?"

She yelped and looked up into her emerald eyes. "N-no, I was just…um, sit. Please." She sat up, blushing.

He sat down across from her, raising her hand to gain the attention of the waitress.

"What can I get you two?" The waitress asked, smiling brightly at both of them.

"Coffee and a blueberry bagel, no cream cheese. Chloe?"

Chloe glanced at him then at the waitress. "I'll have the same, except with cream cheese."

"Sure thing, coming right up."

Kurama shed his coat and scarf onto the back of his seat. "How did you sleep last night?"

Chloe took a deep breath. "Hardly at all, actually. You?"

"Just fine, thank you." He smiled as the waitress set down two steaming cups of coffee in front of them.

Chloe stirred some sugar into hers, frowning thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, I need to ask: have you thought about what I told you yesterday?"

Kurama nodded, turning his eyes onto his coffee as he poured a little bit of milk in his. "I've thought of little else." He spoke quietly.

Her heart leapt. "And?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I tried to sort out when I first began caring about you, but I couldn't. I think I first started acting that way towards you because Carmen seemed so frivolous about your safety, and you were so helpless that I..." He shrugged. "Then at some point it wasn't just acting anymore."

She sipped her coffee, her heart in her mouth at what he was telling her. "But…?" She knew there was a 'but' from the tone of his voice.

"But I can't separate what was actually me caring about you, and what was…let's face it, you were helpless, nearly friendless, and very innocent. I would have hardly been a man if that hadn't been alluring."

Chloe's heart sank to her toes. "So you don't love me." She didn't dare look at him when she said this.

"Love? No, I don't think I do. I care about you deeply though Chloe, you must believe me."

Chloe's eyes welled up with tears and she drank some coffee to try and get control of herself. Yesterday she'd thought…that was to say, it had seemed like…but no, he'd just said it – he didn't love her. So that was that. She took the bagel from the waitress and quickly choked it down, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. "I'll leave then." She started to stand up.

"Wait Chloe, please don't leave." He reached across the table and grabbed her arm.

She looked down at his hand, and slowly sank back into her seat. "But if you don't love me, then there's no point in my staying here anymore." Her voice cracked. "That's why I came back here."

"Chloe, love is not something that can possibly come out of as short a time as we were together. To really love someone requires a lot of time and hard work. We were thrown together for a short while under extremely dangerous circumstances. A real relationship can't be based upon that."

Chloe looked down at her hands, knowing deep down that he was right.

"But I care about you, a lot. If I didn't, it wouldn't have hurt so much when you ran away from me."

She looked up, comprehension beginning to dawn on her.

"Mine is not a nature that forgives easily. But if you stay, then, in time, I think-

"Hey guys, what's up?" Eric pulled up a chair and sat down at their table, smiling cheerfully.

Chloe could have stabbed him with her butter knife. "What are you doing here Eric?"

"Waiting for Carmen and Alexei. We're supposed to get breakfast. What are you guys doing here?"

"They're coming here?" Chloe sighed. Couldn't she go one day without seeing Carmen?

"You really should try to be more understanding of her. She's lived a rough life."

"That's no excuse." Chloe frowned. "Besides, how rough could the life of a goddess be?"

Eric opened his mouth, shut it, then thought a moment before responding. "No, but if you know more of the particulars, it might help you understand some of why she is the way she is."

"You've always said her story is hers to tell." Kurama pointed out calmly, not thrilled either at the prospect of seeing Carmen, though somewhat curious about Alexei and his effects on Carmen's behavior.

Eric held up one finger. "Wrong. I said the Alexander story was not mine to tell. Besides, Carmen mostly doesn't tell people anything about her past because she doesn't want to burden them with her tale of woe."

Chloe snorted. "She's hardly concerned about others."

Eric shrugged. "I understand why you say that, but-" he looked at her, his eyes very serious "-understand me when I say you're very wrong. But this will be easier if I show you." He tapped one finger thoughtfully. "You may or may not have figured this out, but Carmen is a little crazy."

"A lot, you mean." Chloe snapped.

Eric ignored her tone. "No, I mean actually a little bit insane. Not quite all there."

Kurama's eyebrows rose a little. He wasn't exactly surprised though, considering Carmen's behavior.

"She hasn't escaped her life unscathed. For one, the vast knowledge of the gods is more than mortal bodies are meant to contain. For two…well, I'll show you, it'll be easier than trying to explain. First, her father." He swirled his hand in the air.

Chloe's eyes widened as the room began spinning slowly around them, fading first to black, then brightening into a green hilltop surrounded by trees.

"_Cailyn!"_

_Cailyn laughed as she ran up the hill, her longs skirt caught up in her arms so as not to trip. A blonde young man gave one giant leap and tackled her halfway up the hill, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Cailyn rolled over under him, breathing heavily. "You're legs are longer." She pouted playfully._

_He grinned down at her. "Don't be a poor sport." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, gathering her up in his arms._

"That's not Alexei." Chloe whispered to Eric.

"Shhh."

_Finally Cailyn pulled away and pushed him off. She stood up and straightened her skirts. "Alright Nick, what did you want to tell me? And why did we come all the way out here?"_

_He walked over to her and took her hand in his. "You remember everything I was telling you about your father last week?"_

_Her smile faded. "I thought I told you never to speak of that again." Her voice had a dangerous edge to it._

"_Yes. But I have proof this time. Just trust me." He held her hand tightly so she couldn't withdraw it to leave. "Up here."_

_He was gripping her hand to tight, she had no choice but to grab her skirt with her other hand and follow after him. Once they reached the top he laid down on the ground so only his head peeked over the top, looking down at a quiet village. "Come on Cailyn."_

_She laid down beside him, tight-lipped. "This had better be good." She spoke tersely._

_He put a finger to his lips. "It will be."_

_For a few minutes nothing happened. The village was quiet just now as all the men had returned home from work and so families were now eating. Suddenly soldiers swarmed in from all around. Within seconds the air was full of the sounds of screaming and mayhem._

"_Those are my father's personal guard!" Cailyn exclaimed, beginning to stand up._

_Nick pulled her back down. "What are you doing?!" He hissed._

"_I'm the princess, I can stop them!" Cailyn could hardly bear the sounds of the women and children's screams moments before they died._

"_And then you're father will know you're on to him! Stay down!"_

_Cailyn couldn't escape from his grasp. She was forced to watch and listen to the slaughter of the village. All too soon the air grew strangely silent. She watched, helpless, as the soldiers lined up and marched off away from the village. It wasn't till several minutes later that Nick let go of her arm. She was up and running down the hill, half running and half sliding in her haste. She tripped over a rock and tumbled the last several feet to the bottom, leaping to her feet and sprinting into the village. She stopped dead in her tracks at the edge, the tears that had been gathering in her green eyes beginning to fall._

_She could smell the blood, taste the blood in the air. But it didn't prepare her for the carnage she now saw all around her. She walked slowly across the village, the tears falling unchecked down her cheeks. Men, women…even the babies. No one had been spared. People had been slaughtered as they ran, as they lay bleeding on the ground, as they leapt from windows to escape._

_She stopped in front of one little girl, who lay on her back, her blue eyes staring unseeingly up at the sky. The little girl had come to the castle just yesterday with a basket of flowers for Cailyn from her village. "Why?" Cailyn choked out, fighting down sobs. "Why?" She repeated, sinking to her knees._

"_A rumor reached your father's ear that there were, perhaps, a villager or two here that didn't entirely agree with him."_

"_He wiped out an entire village based a rumor?" She was horrified._

"_This isn't the worst he's done." Nick knelt beside her._

_She stared down at the little girl, Nesa, unable to take her eyes off the lifeless face. "So it's true. It's all true. My father's a monster." She whispered, taking Nesa's hand in her own. It was still warm._

"_I'm sorry."_

The image faded to black. Tears rolled down Chloe's cheeks. "Why did she believe so readily?"

"Those soldiers were her father's personal guard, which meant that they responded only to direct orders from him. As in, face-to-face orders."

Chloe's mouth formed a silent 'o'.

"Now, onto the next chapter. Because of that day, Nick, who turned out to be the leader of the rebels, convinced Cailyn to join the cause against her father. Many years later there was a war that involved every kind of mortal creature. Cailyn tried to fight her father herself, but she lost. It took the combined strength of the strongest demon, human, and spirit being to seal him away in the medallion you saw Carmen destroy. This is years after the battle. Alexei has been trying to convince Cailyn for months that Nick has become corrupt and is seeking to take control of everything. She still believes in Nick, though her doubts have been growing."

The darkness began to grow lighter again, revealing a lavishly decorated room.

_Cailyn looked at herself in the mirror, her hands expertly twisting and pinning her hair onto her head._

"_Cailyn?"_

_She turned around at the sound of Nick coming through the door. "What do you think? I had this made up for your party tonight."_

_He looked her up and down. The green dress hugged her in all the right places. "It's lovely." He came up and put his hands, running his fingers along her curves. "I hear you've been spending a good amount of time with a demon named Alexei. Is that true?"_

_She felt her heart beat just a little faster. "Y-yes, I have. He's been teaching me about herbs and medicine. Why?"_

_Nick shook his head. "No reason. Come out for a ride with me." He kissed her shoulder._

_She turned around and pressed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why don't we stay in and you can help me get out of this dress?" She whispered._

_He detangled himself from her arms. "I would but I have a meeting to get to. Be ready in half an hour for our ride." He smiled and started to leave the room. He paused at the doorway, turning and saying over his shoulder. "I wouldn't object if you wore something a little more…casual for our ride."_

_Carmen smiled as the door shut and instantly began unlacing the side of her dress. "Casual." She snorted. "Who does he think he's fooling? I know what he wants." She slipped out of the dress, pausing in front of the mirror for a few moments. "Alexei has to be wrong. Nick isn't going mad with power. I would know if he was." Reassured she went to her wardrobe and began pulling out some clothes._

_She pulled on some skin tight black pants and boots, then on top she put on a shirt that was loose and flowy, but very see-through. She grabbed her cloak and pulled it around herself to cover up. She winked at the mirror then headed out of the room to the stables._

_Nick met her promptly, raising an eye at her complete coverage thanks to the cloak, but saying nothing. They mounted their horses and took off at a canter. Once out of sight of the castle Cailyn stopped and stuffed the cloak into her saddlebag._

_Nick looked her over appreciatively. "Come on." He spurred his horse into a run, Cailyn following close on his heels._

_They ran for a long while before Nick stopped in a small clearing with a stream running through it. He leapt off his horse and pulled Cailyn off hers almost before her horse had stopped. "Come here you!"_

"_Nick!" She exclaimed, laughing._

_He pulled her down onto the ground, his lips kissing every piece of exposed skin, his hands working at getting her shirt off as fast as possible._

"Do we really have to watch this part?" Chloe asked Eric, her face turned away, her cheeks pink.

"Of course we're not watching that part. You just needed to understand how much of a bastard Nick was." He waved his hand and the scene changed a little.

_Cailyn walked back in from the trees, straightening her clothes as she walked. "I think you might have torn my shirt." She scolded Nick playfully._

_Nick was also dressed again and was standing by the stream, staring into it. "No matter. Let's get riding again."_

_Cailyn folled Nick on horseback for a half hour, growing a little uneasy due to the fact they were riding hard and still moving away from the castle. If she was right about where they were, this was a dangerous part of the land. They came very suddenly upon a large camp._

_Nick hopped off his horse and held out his hands for Cailyn._

_She looked around uneasily at the large group of men congregating in front of them. She recognized the tattoos – these men were bandits, slave traders- you name it, they did it. "Why are we here?" She whispered, not getting off her horse._

"_Just trust me." Nick helped her down off her horse, putting an arm around her waist and walking forward. "Where is Geb?"_

"_That'd be me." One of the men stepped forward. His body was covered in tattoos and his orange eyes looked Cailyn over lustily._

"_You remember what was discussed?"_

"_Aye, I do. I must say, we're getting the better bargain." The men all laughed._

_Nick smiled wryly. "That you are. But desperate times. Have fun." He suddenly shoved Cailyn at the man._

_She screamed as Geb's hands grabbed her arms and held her tightly. "Nick! What are you doing?!" She yelled, trying to pull away, but Geb's grip was like iron._

"_I cannot have people around me that I can't trust." Nick said coldly, climbing up onto his horse._

_Cailyn managed to turn around to look at him. "You can trust me! Why would you think you can't?!"_

_Nick looked into her eyes. "Alexei is believed to be a part of the rebels. You've been spending so much time around him lately. You're tainted. I can't trust you anymore." He turned his horse and galloped away._

"_NICK!" Cailyn screamed, thrashing as Geb half pulled half carried her into the camp. He took her to one of the stone structures and shoved her through the open door. He shut it and locked it behind himself, handing the key through one of the barred windows to one of the men outside. A crowd had congregated around all the openings._

_Cailyn had tripped and fallen when he pushed her in, and she looked up at him now from the floor. "What are you going to do to me?" Her eyes were blazing, but her body was shaking._

_Geb smiled cruelly. "We-"_

The scene suddenly disappeared and the café returned. Carmen stood behind Eric's chair, her blue eyes blazing furiously. "You have got some nerve."

Eric leaned back in his chair. "I was helping them to understand you."

"If they needed to know the tragic tale that is my life, I would have told them. You just want them to pity me because you think that's better than hate."

"Don't worry. Pity will never replace my feelings about you." Kurama spoke calmly, his green eyes looking at her, and at Alexei standing silently beside her.

Carmen turned her venomous eyes on the red-head. She stared at him a moment and then chuckled. "Of course not. Yoko Kurama doesn't have compassion or pity in his vocabulary, so how could you ever feel it?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. Kurama and Carmen would probably eternally be two cats hissing at each other.

Carmen turned her attention back on Eric. "And you, Eric, I don't even know what to say to you. Who gave you the right to share the intimate details of my past? That's my past and I'll share when and with whom I choose."

"But you never share anything." Chloe piped up.

"Don't you think there's a reason for that? Besides, do you really want to know how I was persuaded into joining two revolutions by two different guys, how one of those guys sold me as a slave, how I was raped multiple times a day for years, how I massacred that camp and many others before Eric found me?"

Chloe looked down at the table uncomfortably.

"Does that make you uncomfortable? It's the truth, it's what happened. I don't shy away from the truth. But I don't flaunt it either. It's enough for it to live on in my nightmares, it doesn't need to invade your happy little world."

"My happy little world?" Chloe's head shot up. "My brother and parents were massacred, slaughtered! In what twisted universe does that make my world 'happy'?"

"Yes, you lost your family. But as time goes on that memory will fade. The details of their deaths will fade. You can become happier than you were before. That's the blessing of being human. Time will heal your wounds."

Alexei tugged gently at Carmen's elbow. "Come on Cailyn, let's go."

Carmen stared at Chloe for a moment, an indescribable emotion being expressed in her eyes. Then she walked past their table. "Eric, if you so much as utter one more word about my past to them I will saw off your legs with a butter knife. Now come on."

Eric watched the pair walk away and leaned towards Chloe and Kurama. "Sorry to cut it short, but maybe you understand a little bit more now, eh?" He stood and followed after his friends.

The air was silent for a moment after Eric left. Kurama looked at Chloe, Chloe peeked over her shoulder at Carmen. "No matter what happened to her in the past, it does not excuse her behavior now." Kurama spoke firmly.

Chloe looked at him, then back at Carmen. "Of course it doesn't. But it does…explain some things…"

Kurama almost sighed. Eric's trick had worked. There was pity he was hearing in Chloe's voice, and something else – forgiveness.

* * *

A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think! (Also, I'm sorry if there's any confusion about when it switches scenes. It keeps losing my formatting, so I have no idea if it will keep the liene breaks in the right places or not.)


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